Cross Bill's on the Sawtooth Range

On a recent ice fishing trip to the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho, I encountered a flock of birds, that were feeding on salt on the pavement of the road. Or perhaps getting a sip of water from the melting ice. This was near the top of Banner Summit at nearly 7,000 feet in elevation. The birds turned out to be the Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra), which have a body length of about 6 inches and a wing span of 11 inches.

They feed primarily on conifer cones, of spruce, pine and fir, but also eat the buds from trees. The Red Crossbill pries seeds from the cones using its highly adapted thick curved bill that is uniquely crossed. The perfect multi-tool. There are apparently 9 discrete populations of the Red Crossbill, which may be different species, and each type differs slightly in their voice or song or the size of their bills. Each type feeds prefers to feed on a select type of conifer tree, and they often mingle with other types.

There were about 12 birds in the flock I was watching. This area of the Sawtooths is heavily forested with conifer trees, mostly lodgepole pine, with spruce and subalpine fir along the creek bottoms. The ice fishing was poor that day, but the views of the mountains were spectacular. I am amazed how the Crossbill's can survive at such high altitudes in the winter, but the pine cones, are found high in the tree canopy well above the snow, and the seeds are there for the taking. Especially for the Red Crossbill with the perfect set of cone cracking mandibles. It sounds like a much easier way to obtain a meal than drilling through 3 feet of ice to find some wily trout.

The whisteling squerel of the Rocky Mountains

Above: Photo Credit: Martin Pot
http://martybugs.net

The shrill whistling sound rings across the mountain meadow, as the lookout sounds the alarm. The colony scurries for cover. I am the intruder, in this hilly glade. The predator, hunter, pillager, raider. Or at least the burrowers of the earth think I am. The Columbian ground squirrel or as the Lewis and Clark Expedition called them, the “whisteling squerel”.

The Columbian ground squirrel (gopher) has kept me company, on many of my hikes, especially where there are meadows, along the forest edges. Often they can be seen sitting up on their hind legs, on top of the mounds that they construct during their excavations of the underground tunnels.

The ground squirrels keep up a constant chatter as they whistle throughout the day, and they keep a sharp eye out for hawks, fox and coyotes and other predators. The tone of the whistle sometimes changes, as the squirrels chitchat back and forth. If you sneak up on them they spook, and the whistle becomes real high pitched, almost a squeal, as they scurry down into the safety of their dens. Their burrow fortress.

The Columbian Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus columbianus) is found in the Rocky Mountains from central British Columbia and Alberta south to Idaho and eastern Oregon. They have a distinctive coloration, of brick red on its nose, neck and legs with the rest of the body a grayish brownish color . They are the largest ground squirrel found in the western United States with a body that is 10 to 12 inches in length. The tail itself is relatively large at 3 to 5 inches long and is quite bushy. They feed on grass, forbs, bulbs, seeds and fruit. Meriwether Lewis aptly describes the tail of the Columbian, in a journal entry of May 27^th, 1806: “ The hair of the tail tho' thickly inserted on every part rispects the two sides only. This gives it a flat appearance and a long ovol form. “

The first observation of the Columbian ground squirrel, other than by the native Americans, was by the Lewis and Clark expedition, on the Clearwater River of Idaho. In total Lewis and Clark made seven journal entries where they discussed the squirrel, and also preserved several skins and transported them back to St. Louis. On May 23^rd, 1806 William Clark writes in his journal: “Labiech also brought a whisteling squerel which he had killed on it's hole in the high plains. This squerel differs from those on the Missouri in their Colour, Size, food and the length of tal and from those found near the falls of the Columbia.”

The Columbian ground squirrels are very inquisitive and curious, yet cautious around people. The whistling is a comforting sound, that makes the meadow come alive, especially when you see the squirrels running back and forth and perched on mounds. The mountains wouldn't be the same without their song resonating across the glades.