It Was Still Just A Donation

A second South Dakota trip, also unfulfilled.

At least this time I took a fun video!

South Dakota Hawk Hunt

Cougar on the Prowl

 

It Was Just A Donation

Sunrise on the Prairie

Sometime late in 2024 I requested a week of vacation in February, which is normally a fairly dismal time of year in Minnesota. It is usually the coldest month, and is also the last month for falconry, with the season ending at the month's end. This year my falconry has been rather poor, with my managing Seneca's weight being a challenge. She became very nesty last summer, and shaving weight off to achieve good field response has been difficult with my work schedule. I have decided I will give her wild life back to her very soon.

I'm not sure when the conversation took place, but my friend Fox and I ended up agreeing to try to find and trap a Ferruginous Hawk. This is not a species that is great for falconry, in fact, is rather stubborn in its choice of ground hunting terrestrial hole-digging rodents (prairie dogs, gophers). However, it is an absolutely gorgeous bird, and would be a challenge, if trapping was successful. 

I know next to nothing about this species! I encountered my first wild bird when I went trapping (unsuccessfully) in Kansas in 2021. There are few used in falconry, and rare information on how to lure them to a trap. My go-to is to use a BC, for which I made a brand new one. We were also limited on WHERE we could go find them. This bird is a Western species. The closest they come to Minnesota on their continental journeys is portions of North and South Dakota, and Western Nebraska and Kansas. They are rather common in Colorado, and are found in the winter frequently in New Mexico and parts of Western Texas, all very too far places to drive. Trapping window is also limited in the first months of the year by the differing laws in each of these states. I ended up selecting South Dakota as our target. The fee was $200, and my permit to trap was processed surprisingly quickly.

We were relying on information from that birder's website I mentioned in the last posting. You can see this picture below. Again, not naming it by name, as birders probably don't care for falconers using their resource to find certain species to go and abduct. The center part of South Dakota is an extensive grassland with abundant entries of our target species throughout the month of January. This would turn out to be deceptive information!   

Fox and I decided to set off on our journey on Tuesday, February 4. We would make the 5.5 hour journey from her home, with an uncertain destination somewhere South of the Grasslands, which ended up being Kennebec, which had a small but comfortable (and affordable) hotel. The following morning we would navigate back roads, following up on sitings of the bird we were after, as documented on the birder's resource. I'm here to say, that resource was next to useless!!

What followed was two days of a lot of driving, and NEVER seeing a Ferruginous Hawk perched on any kind of pole or roadside post (that we could toss a trap under), which our reference database made look common. The journey was not without interest, as we did see a whole heck of a lot of other species, non target species. There were an incredibly abundant amount of Rough-Legged Hawk, a Northern visitor we do see from time to time in Minnesota. They are beautiful, but extremely useless for falconry, with their tiny tiny feet and predilection for hunting almost exclusively rodents. Some of these birds sat rather unafraid and let us get close for good pictures. Also spotted in abundance were Northern Harriers.

Another surprising species we saw rather abundantly were Golden Eagles, which are another species that mostly does not come into the Eastern portion of the US. Some are found and trapped for research along the Upper Mississippi, but they are a rare visitor. We saw quite a few on our journey. They were usually quite remote for good pictures, but many were observed.

Only late in the day on Wednesday did we encounter our first Ferruginous Hawks. It was an adult pair spotted flying over a prairie dog town. Between Fox and her incredible skills at researching and finding information on the Internet, and my viewing OnX, a hunting app I purchased just for this trip, as well as the birder's resource, we eventually found the prairie dog towns which attract those most largest of the North American buteos that hunt them, Buteo Regalis. After watching an adult pair flying, we then spotted a pair of 3 juveniles fighting over something they were eating. They were far off, down into a valley, and nowhere we could attract their attention with a trap. They were also in a valley that is Native land. All the area we were canvasing is criss-crossed with Native land, for which we did not have a permit to trap. Thus the OnX, which clearly identified land ownership so we knew where we could concentrate our efforts, and where we could not tread. Further research that night by Fox found ALL the prairie dog towns where we could occupy our trapping efforts the next day.

Ya, I look like a mess below! It was very cold, so hat wearing a strategy against hypothermia. 

The following morning, after spending a night in an over-priced hotel in Pierre (that had at least 1 roach) we were in the prairie dog towns by dawn. I was quite impressed with Fox's ability to navigate her Subaru SUV along the back roads and farm tracks. She took it slow, and fortunately (thankfully) we didn't get bogged down anywhere or get a flat tire. We would also learn that getting up early was completely unnecessary. Prairie dogs are not active when it is cold. They stay down their burrows until the weak winter sun warms things up in the afternoon. At first, in the middle of huge towns, we thought maybe they had all succumbed to plague (yes, THAT plague!) However, as the day wore on and things warmed up a little, we saw much activity. The fat rodents sit at their burrow doors, or run rapidly along little tracks from duck hole to duck hole. If you walk among them, which I did to place a trap a couple times, they alarm call down the holes at you.

We would go on to see a few more Ferruginous Hawks, flying high and fast over the prairie dog fields. Never did we find one perched on a pole near a road. It would take a whole other tactic to attempt to be successful with this unfamiliar species, with gear we did not have. Future efforts (ya right) might be successful actually trapping in a live trap several prairie dogs (I read they really like peanut butter) then using those as a lure out in the field, with nooses tied on the live traps. Studies by US Fish & Wildlife targeting prairie dogs often attract Buteo Regalis.

↓Not My Picture↓

We ended up deciding to limit our search to just 2 days. We covered the area fairly thoroughly, never seeing any congregations other than that first day. All other encounters were birds flying towards the horizon. However, the prairie does have other interesting things to see.

There were Pronghorn antelopes! The buck above stood his ground and stared at us. One of the large herds we saw ran in front of us for an interesting picture.

There was also abundant Mule Deer. I can see why South Dakota is a hunter's paradise. There was a lot of large game to target in their respective seasons. We would also see a lot of pheasants and wild grouse, to include Prairie Chickens. They would suddenly be flushed and get up and fly fast to the sky. It would be a good area to hunt with a falcon! 

Late in the day on Thursday we encountered a herd of horses on Native land. We had parked our car on the road and were just observing the valley across from this field. The mares (for they all appeared to be pregnant) made their way out of curiosity to the fence, wondering perhaps if we had any horse treats. It is a vision straight out of history.

As the sun set on Thursday, we decided to throw in the towel. We never dropped a trap under a prospective target. It was a rather last minute effort, based on limited information on what would spell success to trap this species. The journey was not without adventure, as the wide open prairie is quite stunning in its stark beauty. I did see some species not often observed, and it was quality time spent with my friend. However, ultimately, it was just a donation to the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks.

You're Welcome!

Spirited Away

During the fall and into the winter I usually carry my falconry trapping gear in my car, to include live rats, just in case something interesting comes along that I may want to trap. As the season moves into the deep of winter keeping the live rats in my car becomes just a little more difficult, as it is cold enough to freeze their water, which has to be changed out frequently. As a Master Falconer, I can have 5 birds on my license, which is about 4 birds too many for me. I struggle to make enough time to fly and hunt the one bird I currently have. However, I am a sucker for something pretty that may come along, so I keep the gear and permit in my car just in case. After all, that is how I acquired Sumi, the dark morph RT I trapped in 2018. Click the red heading for her story.

Surprise Hawk

I make it a habit to check an online birding resource, as it can give a snapshot view of possible rare birds to be found. The most common variety of the Red-Tailed Hawk in our area of the Upper Midwest is classified as Buteo jamaicensis borealis.  However, we are just on the margin range of, and sometimes have the occasional migrant of a light morph variation classified as Buteo jamaicensis kriderii, or simply Krider's Hawk. 

One was spotted in the Twin Cities back in early November. I was motivated enough to make the effort to go up to the area where this bird was spotted and try to find it, and trap it if successful in the search. It was a fun day trip which I captured on Relive, however was unsuccessful as I never found the bird that had been spotted.  

White Hawk Eagan - Relive Video 

From time to time I use the birder's database to see if any other particularly desirable birds have been spotted. Birders may not appreciate my use of their resource, but it is an open, no membership required database. On Thursday 1/16 I queried the database, and discovered another Krider's morph was being spotted for several days in Rochester. I had several days off and not much else going on, so decided to go see if I could find this bird.

The search area was exactly in the same location I trapped Sumi. The synchronicity of this situation is not lost to me. I arrived Friday morning and began to canvas the area, looking over the likely marshland for a noticeable white bird. After about an hour's search I found the target bird. I am just a little proud of my ability to spot hawks. I tossed out my trap in just about the same location as where I caught Sumi, but after a short wait, the white hawk apparently did not see it, and instead turned and flew off deeper into the marsh, away from roads or access points. I took this situation as my cue, and left the area to go get some sit down breakfast at a local restaurant.

Returning to the area an hour later, I noticed a car parked pretty close to where I had stopped and dropped my trap before. I'm wondering if it was this gentleman above, who has been making the observations and posting on the Birder's Database. More about him later. I'm not going to type his name here, or the database I am using, as it would make this posting searchable, and I don't want that!! The picture above gives those details. After a few minutes the car was gone. The bird remained in the tree line just beyond. 

The surrounding area is a pretty active series of intersections, so cars are driving around it frequently. For this reason, the hawk seems to be indifferent to cars. They are just part of the environment. I pulled into a side area near the copse of trees the bird was perching in, which has an old farm track running parallel to the paved road, and brushy bushes between. Turning my car, I was able to toss the trap outside the driver's window, out of view of said bird, and into the brushy margin. It is also helpfully important to be out of view by the random driver on the road. Dropped, I drove off, then down the road quite a distance, and found another turn out that allowed me to survey the entire scene from a significant distance with my binoculars. I would not have to wait long. 

The target bird shortly left its perch in the copse, flashing its white beauty as it did so, and flew over to the brushy margin. It would then sit in those trees for quite a long time. It was then seen to jump down to the ground and survey the trap, again, for a long time. Another hop up into the bushes, long wait, then down again, long wait, and a brief dance on the trap, but no snagging on the nooses. It then flew off into the marsh. It may have decided the full-sized rat in the trap was much too large a meal to work for. So, no luck today! I decided to collect my trap and leave.

I spoke with my friend, Foxfeather, about this white bird in the area. I really need to keep my open trap slot on my permit unused as she and I are planning a road trip the first week of February to South Dakota, in search of a Ferruginous Hawk. I have a trap permit from the State of South Dakota, so any success there needs to go on my license. For this reason, I arranged to return on Saturday morning, but this time with my friend, who does have an open slot on her permit. If a second trapping effort for this white bird is successful, it will be her bird. I also traded out my large, fully grown rats for two smaller juvenile rats. They looked a lot less intimidating.

Saturday morning we returned at dawn. The target white bird was in his favorite copse of trees. Must be a preferred perching location for him. I say "him" because from a distance view, it did look like a rather small bird. Males in the hawk world are smaller. This would turn out to be true.

I was just a bit cautious in attempting to trap this bird, because it was a Saturday, and if there were any birders out trying to see a rare morph of red tailed hawk to add to their Life List, we could encounter them. I did not want to do that! The gentleman above who made the report was also flagged alongside his observation in the Olmstead County Rare Bird Alert.

Some of the thrill of trapping raptors is not only to find them, and lure them to the trap, but to also do so and Not Be Seen. To be observed is to risk that John Q. Public will mess up your trapping set up. And while what we were doing is completely legal, all permits in hand, sometimes people just don't understand.

I pulled again into the side area near the copse of trees, only this time in reverse. I backed up well into the brush line, tossed out my trap, and pulled away in record time, then up the road to watch. I did not have to wait long this time. It was a much colder morning, and would go on to be several extremely cold days for Minnesota. Perhaps this bird sensed the oncoming cold weather, or maybe just a bit more hungry this day at first light than the previous day. Either way, he did not over think the trap this time. The much smaller rats, two this time, might also have appeared more in line with what he was familiar hunting. He started dancing on the trap right away. When this happens, you must restrain your enthusiasm, your heart beating out of your chest if the trapping target is a particularly desirable bird, to not move in too quickly, lest you foil the effort as the bird is not truly snagged. You must be patient, and watch until you are sure. We watched for the telltale of the bird lifting up, trying to fly, and lifting the trap with it. We saw just a slight movement of this. I approached in the car closer, peering through the brush line, as the bird stood on the trap and looked right back at us, but did not fly off. One more jerk up, and I knew we had him. Moving quickly, we approached close, jumped out, and had him in hand. One noose! He was caught by only one noose. It was a close one! 

I wanted to move away from the area quickly, again to avoid anyone, any birder or other unwanted onlooker, seeing what we were up to. We relocated to a not very distant, private, and more covered area to protect us from the wind. He was freed from the trap, quickly assessed and found fit, no injuries, and actually rather well fed for his size. 950 grams on the scale. Definitely a male. We put some quick field gear onto him, to include his marker band, then packed up and made our way to Fox's home and kitchen, to have a hot cup of tea, and check out our new friend.

I feel only a little bit of sadness for our birder friend up there. He surely returned that Saturday, and probably for a day or two more after, intently looking for "his" bird, only to be disappointed. Perhaps he will guess the little dude moved on because of the approaching cold weather, or worse, think maybe he didn't survive the cold, as all too many juvenile raptors fail to do their first winter. He does not know that two middle aged falconer women spirited him away. 

My friend Fox is an Anime fan, especially Studio Ghibli. This seemed like an appropriate description for what happened to this little White Boy. 

 

At her home we began the first manning lessons, and pictures. Lots of pictures.

He may not be a full Krider's hawk, but surely has some significant genetics for it. It will be interesting to see how he molts out over the summer.

He would go on the next couple days to settle in just fine in his downtime housing in a warm basement, preening his feathers into place, learning how to regain the bow perch after a bate, coming upstairs often for manning and feeding sessions. A remote access camera allows for discreet observation, which transmits to an app both of us have on our phone. 

He's somewhat of a joint project. He's a very late-trapped bird, but sometimes you have to jump on something rare when it presents itself. 

Sorry Mick!!

Last Minute

 

Today's adventures culminated at the last moment, and finished up by giving a Falconry 101 plug, and meet some nice guys. This is Bruce on the left, and I'm letting him hold a satiated and hooded Seneca. On the right is his friend Adam.

Just prior to going into my work weekend we got the first truly cold blast of this winter. Last Thursday was just too awful to even think about going outside. I just fed Seneca up, and boosted her for a couple days to keep her internal fires going through the cold, and my not being able to fly her. After a quick nap this morning, after getting off work, and after tagging along with Rich to pick up some auction stuff, My Girl was at a good enough weight to fly. I chose the Byron field as I have not been there this year. In fact, I've not been there for 2 years since I had a short season last year due to my need for knee surgery.

As always, this favorite field (which is no longer secret) has an abundance of bunnies. We kicked up several, and Seneca made a play for a few of them, but she was not following tightly, and mostly self hunting. We were not out long, and it was starting to get late, so I tried to call her down. This was when we encountered these two gentlemen, who were standing outside a restaurant/bar at our chosen location. She ignored my lure call, and was staring intently the other direction in a very brushy spot I had just passed through recently. As I made my way out into the open to try calling her again, she left her perch and flew rather gently across the open area, down, then crashed the thick brush and caught a bunny.

It might not be greatly evident from this picture, but her catch in this brushy spot was VERY thick and brushy. I had to crawl over a lot of downed tree branches to get to her. Thankfully, she had a good grip on her prize. After getting to her, dispatching bunny, securing her, and allowing her to eat her fresh catch, I extricated myself out of the brush, and Rich took a quick picture of us.

We returned to near our parked car, and popped into the restaurant/bar and called Bruce and Adam over to get an opportunity to see the hawk up close. Bruce had told Rich while they were watching me try to call her down that he has a tattoo of a hawk on his shoulder. I figured he'd like to see her up close, and maybe even be allowed a quick hold.

It was an unexpectedly quick happy turn of luck just when we were about to throw in the lure and go home. Seneca got a really nice large and warm meal after these very cold days. Rich and I met a couple nice guys and hopefully made their day.