Falcons duel the sky

The Snake River Birds of Prey, in Idaho, were alive last week with ground squirrels and diving Prairie Falcons, Ravens and Red-Tailed Hawks. I hiking along the cliff edge, where hawks were riding the updrafts, and the Prairie Falcons were out in force. The Falcons seemed to fly just along the edge of the cliff, turning, banking and diving and racing back and forth. Lunging and plunging. Flying for the pure joy of it, it would seem.

The cliffs, of dark basalt, dropped precipitously 500 feet to the narrow winding Snake River. The Snake River Birds of prey support the densest population of ground squirrels ever recorded, and a high population of badgers. And a large concentration of falcons, which is no wonder.

The Piute ground squirrels, (Spermophilus mollis), were out and about, whistling, running and perching on their mounds keeping a sharp lookout for hawks and falcons. They were extremely alert and hard to approach and I was unable to get closer than about 50 yards, to any one of them. No wonder, with Prairie Falcons skulking about, that cruise at 45 miles per hour and can accelerate much beyond that, when closing on prey.

The Piute ground squirrels are a brownish color with short ears. They feed on a variety of plants and eat the stems, leaves, seeds and flowers, and will also feed on insects and carrion. They are marvelously adapted to desert life, and they hibernate in the heat of summer, deep in underground tunnels. They can only be spotted in the spring and fall. Their coloration makes them blend quite well into their surroundings. They are dig tunnels in the ground, with several entrances.

There were also Ravens, cruising on the updrafts, with their deep-black feathers, and I spotted them several times landing on rocky ledges, perhaps looking for a nesting place. The ravens paid no heed to the falcons, as they are no threat, to this large bird.

The wind was hard and cold and hoods and stocking caps were a necessity. Every time I decided to retreat back to the vehicle, another falcon would come swooping by and up came binoculars and camera's. After and hour we fled back to the truck, our own cozy burrow. We drove away, and silence returned to the high desert prairie, to the whistling of ground squirrels, and the screech of hawks, and the occasional joyous howls of coyotes.