Hike or bike the Snake River Trail and look for eagles, hawks and falcons in SW Idaho

Wendy checks out the scene at Discovery Point with the Snake River Canyon in the distance.

Hi all, 

The weather looks really wet and rainy Saturday and Sunday in the Boise Valley, but Friday looks good with partly cloudy skies and a high of 52 F. 

A lot of people are totally sick of the snow and winter weather, but there will be a number of events going on this weekend with Tamarack Resort holding the Idaho State Pond Skim Championship on Saturday, April 1st. Should be blizzard-like conditions for the event with plenty of music and a hearty party atmosphere. Tam is closing on April 2, but will remain open for a bonus week for Boundless season pass holders and it'll provide discounted lift tickets in the bonus week. Plus people with a season pass to Bogus or Brundage can get a lift ticket at no charge. 

They've had sunshine for the Tamarack pond skim event in the past, but they won't have it this year. 
100 percent chance of snow with 10-16" of new expected. (photo courtesy Tamarack Resort)

Brundage Mountain will be hosting the 2023 BREWlympic Games on Saturday, April 1st. There are relay races in the morning, but the main event happens at 2 p.m. when eight teams of four face off in the Gelande Quaff tournament, sliding huge mugs of beer down a long table to a teammate who catches the mug and chugs the beer. "Strict rules apply and style points are key to victory," Brundage officials said. Gaper Day costumes are encouraged for competitors and spectators alike. 

The forecast Saturday at Brundage is very similar to Tamarack - 10-14" of new snow, high temp of 28 degrees, and 100% chance of snow. Brundage is closing for the season on April 9th. 

Bogus Basin, BTW, will hosting its on pond skim on Saturday, April 15, and closing day is on Sunday, April 16. 

If you're curious about the snowy forecast for this weekend, here's my latest forecast for the Idaho Daily Snow via opensnow.com. 

View of Swan Falls Dam and looking downcanyon. 

In between rain and snow storms (when will spring ever come!?), I'd recommend going down to the Snake River by Swan Falls and hiking or biking the Snake River Trail downriver to enjoy the sights, look for prairie falcons, a variety of hawks and golden eagles. Wendy and I had a nice hike in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area last Saturday. It was chilly with temps in the low 40s and occasional snow and rain squalls, but we did locate a prairie falcon eyrie in the rocky cliffs with our binoculars and I got a picture. Score!

We also saw golden eye ducks, wood ducks, mergansers, lots of ravens, pigeons, and red-tailed hawks. Wendy could mention more songbirds. 

Prairie falcon guarding the nest ... needed more than a 200 mm telephoto lens.

We hiked on the Snake River River trail a couple of miles and enjoyed seeing the green shoots of cheatgrass sprouting in the canyon (just anything green was nice to see), the sound of the Snake River flowing downriver through small riffles, and the sounds of bird life in the canyon.     

Trail side view of the Snake River canyon. 

Soon, I'm planning to go back after things dry out and ride my mountain bike to Wees Bar and take pics of the Native American petroglyphs on the south bank of the Snake. Idaho Power has created a very nice public walkway at Swan Falls Dam for crossing over the dam to the trails on the other side. I'll be writing about that adventure soon. 

BLM trail sign on the east end of the Snake River Trail. It's about 4.5 miles downriver
to Halverson Lake and Centennial Park.  

Directions: Take I-84 to the Kuna exit at Meridian Road. Go south to Kuna and follow signs to the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. Stop at Discovery Point, a BLM interpretive area, on your way to Swan Falls Dam to glass for golden eagles. Once at the dam, go downstream on the dirt/gravel road 4 miles to the trailhead. It's a non-motorized trail, restricted to walking, running and mountain biking. 

For hiking, I recommend wearing trail boots or trail shoes. Bring plenty of water and snacks/lunch for your day trip. Enjoy! 

- SS   

Wees Bar area across the river. Native American Petroglyph site. 

Go soak up some sunshine and Vitamin D this weekend!

Male ferruginous hawk by Todd Katzner

Hi all, 

The weather forecast looks pretty sunny and warmish for a mid-February weekend in Southwest Idaho. Afternoon high temperatures will be the high 40s in the Boise Valley and Snake River areas, and 30-35 degrees in the mountains. 

My recommendation for my Outdoor Tip of the Week is to go soak up some of that sunshine while playing outside.

1. Skiing/riding in the sunshine at Bogus Basin, Tamarack, Brundage, Soldier Mountain or Sun Valley should be fantastic this weekend. All of the ski areas have excellent snow coverage. 

There are a few events going on too such as "Super Diva Day" at Brundage on Sunday, and Tamarack has demo days going on for riders and skiers on Saturday and Sunday. Tamarack also has free s'mores apres ski around the fire in the Village on weekends. 

Sunsets on the Greenbelt can be quite spectacular. 

2. Go for a bike ride or leisurely walk on the Boise River Greenbelt. Note that several sections of the Greenbelt are closed temporarly. I ran into three closures on a bike ride this afternoon. One is near Veterans Park Pond, where some type of construction is going on. Another is by Ann Morrison Park to the 9th Street bridge on the south side of the river, where they are replacing lights. A short section by the Riverside Hotel was closed today due to some construction work. 

Morley Nelson 

3. Head down to the Morley Nelson - Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, south of Kuna. Nesting birds of prey should be returning to the canyon right about now and the males will be trying to impress the females with courtship flight. You could take a ride or walk on the Snake River trail between Swan Falls Dam and Celebration Park while you're in the 'hood. Don't forget the binoculars and your bird book. 

4. Take a scenic wildlife-watching drive up to Banks on Idaho 55, turn right on the Banks to Lowman Road, and watch for herds of mule deer or elk in the winter range areas on the mountains above. Bring your swimsuit if you might want to stop at Pine Flats, Kirkham or Bonneville Hot Springs. 

5. Find your own adventure maybe at Big Creek Summit between Cascade and Warm Lake or head up Idaho 21 to More's Creek Summit and Beaver Creek Summit. Good launch point to make your own trails. 

Once you've gotten your outdoor fix, you can head home and watch the Super Bowl on Sunday. Should be one heck of a game! 

Have fun! 
- SS

Cooler temps this weekend will make hiking, biking in the Snake River canyon a dandy choice!

Old homestead by the Snake River canyon trail.

Hi all, 

A cold front will pass through Idaho on Friday, bringing a 50% chance of rain that afternoon, but the rest of the weekend looks dandy, with cooler temps in the high 60s and low 70s in the mountains, and nudging 80 degrees in the valley. 

For my outdoor tip this week, I'm recommending several hikes in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. The weather in the Snake River canyon looks really nice Saturday and Sunday, with low temps in the 50s and highs around 80 degrees.

Golden eagle on the Snake River Rim ... Courtesy BLM

We are moving into mid-September by next week, temperatures are moderating into fall mode, and that means fall hiking and biking in the Snake River area and the Owyhee Canyonlands will be prime-time in the next couple of months. 

1.  Hike or bike on the Snake River canyon trail to an abandoned homestead - Distance: 4.3 miles from the east trailhead. Difficulty: Easy. You can also access this trail from Celebration Park. The trail is mostly flat and easy to walk or ride. It's sandy in places. Bring a lunch, and hang out at the abandoned homestead with a view of the Snake River. When I visited the trail, I rode from the east trailhead over to Celebration Park and went back to the east trailhead, probably closer to 8 miles or so, but still an easy ride because the terrain is mostly flat.

Directions: Drive to Kuna. Take the paved Swan Falls Road to Swan Falls Dam, south of town. Take the dirt road running along the north side of the canyon several miles to the trailhead. The dirt road ends at the trailhead. The hiking and biking trail is non-motorized.  

The abandoned homestead is located near the ruins of a mud-and-rock house once occupied by a hermit named Doc Hisom. He died at age 94 in 1944 and was buried in Canyon County. He lived on the two-room rock house in a place called "Halverson Cove" about 20 yards from the Snake River. People visited him frequently. Something to think about when you visit.

More information about Doc Hisom courtesy Boise State University. 

From Boise State Powerpoint presentation about Doc Hisom

2. Hike to Halverson Lake from Celebration Park. You can enjoy a very moderate 6-mile round-trip hike to Halverson Lake and check out the petroglyphs on the rocks at Celebration Park. The park is managed by Canyon County. Great place to take kids. Teachable moment about the Bonneville Flood by the parking lot. 

You'll walk along a sandy trail next to the Snake River for several miles and then hang a left to walk through a series of large basalt boulders to Halverson Lake, next to the Snake River rim. 

Hike to Halverson Lake features an easy-going walk along the Snake River.

Driving directions: From downtown Boise, take I-84 west to Nampa. Take the Franklin Road exit (City Center) in Nampa. Go left. Follow Franklin to the intersection with 11^th Street. Turn right and take 11^th into downtown Nampa. Follow signs for ID 45 south. Proceed several miles south to Walters Ferry at the Snake River. Just before the river crossing, turn left on Ferry Road. Follow Ferry to Hill Road. Go right on Hill. Follow Hill to Sinker Road; turn right on Sinker and proceed to Celebration Park. You can see petroglyphs on boulders next to the parking lot, and learn about the Bonneville Flood. The artwork on display can be seen between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily.

Halverson Lake

Celebration Park also is near Guffy Bridge, where you can do some hiking and exploring.

3. Explore the trails around the Guffey Bridge.

About the Guffey Bridge (from the Idaho Heritage Trust) - The Guffey Bridge is Idaho’s largest historic artifact and was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The bridge is the only Parker-Through-Truss Railroad Bridge in Idaho. It was designed to facilitate the hauling of gold and silver ore from Silver City mines at the turn of the century. The 450-ton steel structure is 70 feet tall and spans 500 feet over the Snake River. The cost of construction and other circumstances concerning the Boise, Nampa and Owyhee Railroad precluded hauling any ore across the bridge but it was instrumental in the agricultural development of the area. The bridge was abandoned in 1947, saved from demolition in the1970s and purchased and restored by Canyon County in 1989.

Here are more details about Snake River canyon hikes from All Trails.  

- SS

Early February means raptor courtship flights begin in SW Idaho - 5 places to see them!

Golden eagles engaged in courtship flight (courtesy JoyofAnimals.com)

Hi all, 

I was out on a walk the other day near the Boise Foothills, and I looked up to see two red-tailed hawks engaged in courtship flight while a crow was trying to hassle them at the same time. 

And I thought about that for a moment, and it's like OK, we've turned the page into February, and courtship flight for birds of prey typically begins on Feb. 1 and thereafter. 

So when you're out on a walk in the foothills or the Snake River canyon, be sure to look up in the sky for hawks and eagles ... and watch for this spectacular phenomenon at this time of year. Essentially the male and the female are trying to impress each other during the acrobatics involved in courtship flight. They might be getting together to mate for the first time. 

Golden eagles typically mate for life, and they often use the same nest year after year where they have had nesting success -- raising chicks for the next generation. Red-tailed hawks -- a frequent site in SW Idaho -- are thought to be monogamous and may mate for life, according to National Geographic. 

But the highlight is to see these magnificent birds in action ... and lot of people miss that by not looking around them when they're out on a walk ... a spectacular show could be going on right above you! 

First, let's talk about the birds of prey that you might see in SW Idaho, and then I'll suggest a few places where you might see golden eagles or hawks engaging in courtship flight.

Almost all of these raptor species can be see in SW Idaho. (Courtesy Audubon.org)

The birds above include the American Kestrel (#1 and #3), Bald Eagle (#2), Broad-winged Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk (#19), Merlin (#12), Northern Harrier (#11), Osprey (#14), Peregrine Falcon (#17), Red-shouldered Hawk (#13), Red-tailed Hawk (#10), Sharp-shinned Hawk (#7), Turkey Vulture (#6). Did I get that right?

See this web link from Audubon for more information on identifying species.  

Often times when you see hawks soaring in SW Idaho, it's likely a red-tailed hawk or a Swainson's hawk. Ferruginous hawks and rough-legged hawks are less frequently seen. Kestrels are common and they're quite small ... my friend the late Morley Nelson called them "sparrow hawks." 

Prairie falcons are another common bird in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. More than 200 pairs nest in the cliffs. They feed off the ground squirrels on the sagebrush flats above the canyon, and then raise their off-spring in the protective environment inside the basalt cliffs. 

Here's a neat guide to the raptors in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area from the Bureau of Land Management. More than 800 pairs of raptors nest in the birds of prey area - it's an area that's unique in the world. And it's definitely one of the destinations where you can look for eagles and hawks and courtship flight. 

Grab your binoculars and go! More destinations include: 

• Celebration Park south of Nampa by the Snake River. There are hiking trails and petroglyphs on rocks by the visitor center. Also interpretive signs about the Bonneville Flood. Take a walk upstream and look for birds of prey flying overhead or by the cliffs.
  
• Swan Falls - Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. 20 miles south of Kuna. Nice park provided by Idaho Power by the dam provides a good place to have a picnic or hang out. Or you can take a dirt road along the river to access a trailhead farther downstream and look for birds.
  
• Discovery Point - On the way to Swan Falls, pull over to the interpretive area on the right and look for birds of prey with your binoculars from the top of the rim.  
• Grand View - Owyhee Scenic Backcountry Byway (Mud Flat Road) - Take the Owyhee Backcountry Byway into the Owyhees from Grand View, and you'll drive up a gravel road into a canyon. Watch for hawks as you ascend the canyon or look for them on top of the grade. 
• Succor Creek State Natural Area - This natural canyon is a good place for seeing birds of prey. There's hiking and sight-seeing nearby, caves for the kids to explore, and rest rooms. 
  

Writing Morley Nelson's biography Cool NorthWind and spending time with Morley made me more aware of watching what birds of prey do when they're flying in the sky. Besides the courtship flight, you also may see birds of prey protecting their nesting territory. 

Morley with a prairie falcon

I was up by the top of the Boise Ridge one time on my mountain bike, and I watched this huge majestic golden eagle flying down the spine of the ridge, cruising along, minding its own business. And then I see a prairie falcon emerge out of now where and start dive-bombing the eagle. It would fly up above the eagle, and then get into a vertical dive, aiming for the eagle. 

Right before the falcon was about to strike,margin-block: 0px; margin-inline: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 25.5px; orphans: 2; padding-inline-start: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align the eagle turned over on its back and barred its talons, ready to take on that pesky bird and defend itself. That falcon made several attempts at attacking the eagle, but eventually it left the eagle alone.

And I thought, wow, that was a pretty great  moment, watching nature in action. Morley would mimmick the eagle's thinking, thinking back to fighting the Germans in World War II, "It's either me or you boy, it's  going to be a fight to the end." 

His eyes were so intense when he made the point. He'd had the eagle's talons drive through his skin before; he knew how powerful they were. 

BTW, I saw that the Peregrine Fund is reopening the World Center for Birds of Prey on Feb. 4. If they start doing their live bird presentations, those are a real treat!
- SS

R2R gives green light to lower foothills trails, spring skiing and Snake River canyon

Two adorable children playing in the sand by Red Cliffs Trail on Thursday.

Walkers and bikers sharing the trails on Red Cliffs Trail ...

Love this view looking down into lower Hulls Gulch from Red Cliffs ...

Bikers: Remember to slow down as you enter congested areas ...

Hi all,

Many peeps who love the Boise foothills trails have been out in force, enjoying this latest string of uncommonly warm weather, with highs in the 60s in the afternoons and close to 70 (?) on Friday. Wow! 

I rode my mountain bike to Sidewinder summit on Tuesday night, and it felt like June out there with the trail being bone-dry, and Huck was overheating. Today, I went for a stroll on lower Hulls and Red Cliffs to take pictures, and I was blown away how warm it felt! Sure feels good after a great ski season to hit the trails! My climbing legs feel pretty good considering it's early in the season. 

Checking on the Ridge to Rivers Facebook page, we have as close to a "green light" to use the lower foothills trails below mid-elevation as we're going to get this time of year. There's a good chance of rain in the valley on Saturday afternoon, so keep an eye on the R2R reports and abide by them, please!!!

Quoting from their post on Thursday, March 6:

"Overall, it appears that trails below the mid and upper elevations in the foothills are mostly good to go right now. Conditions above are still the ones in question. It is a good time to work on doing more traversing in the lower foothills from one trail to another or using 8th St. or Rocky Canyon Rd. if you are going to be doing some significant climbing. ...

As the trail crew has been working on both Crestline and Sidewinder for the past few days, both of these trails and also Red Cliffs, Kestrel, and Lower Hulls all remain good to go right now. If you are getting up higher into the foothills over the next couple of days, please think about posting some reports of your own to help others get a better idea of what is going on out there. With rain in the forecast this Saturday, it's a great time to get out and enjoy these next couple of days. Just do it in the right locations! Happy Trails!"

Huck is Mr. Airplane ears on a windy day at Corral's Summit

Other lower Boise foothills trails worth visiting right now would include:

• Military Reserve Trails 
• Camelsback Trails 
• Table Rock trail itself
• Highlands to the Hollow
• Corrals Trail 
• Highlands Trail 
• Polecat Gulch
• Seaman's Gulch

Here are some spring skiers getting into the party mode! (Courtesy Arapahoe Basin)

 Two other suggestions for Friday and this weekend:

• Spring Skiing! Bogus Basin, Tamarack, Brundage and Sun Valley all have lots of snow. Spring skiing on Friday should be amazing everywhere in SW Idaho because of the warm temps approaching 50 degrees at Bogus tomorrow and mid-40s elsewhere! Wow! Break out the spring skiing garb and have fun with it! 
• Also could go backcountry skiing at Pilot Peak/Sunset Mountain/Freeman Peak or up toward Stanley on Copper Mountain. 
• Xc skiing and snowshoeing is another possibility at the Idaho City Park n Ski Areas or in McCall or Sun Valley. 
• Hiking/biking in the Snake River Canyon - Head south of Kuna or Nampa to visit the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. A friend told me that the birds of prey are doing courtship flight down there, so you can hang out and watch the cliffs for birds with your binoculars or do some hiking or biking at Celebration Park or by Swan Falls Dam. The ride to Wees Bar is one of my favorites. 

  

  Golden eagle on the cliffs in the Morley Nelson Snake River BOPA 

Have a great weekend!
- SS

The Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area turns 25 this year ... Here's how to plug into the raptor channel

Ferruginous hawks on a nesting platform in the NCA. 

Joe Welson of the BLM checks on a golden eagle chick in the NCA. 

Hi all,

I've been kind of a nut about birds of prey since I saw bald eagles swoop down and catch crimson-red Kokanee trout in West Glacier, Montana in college. But ultimately, I owe my love for birds of prey to the late Morley Nelson, the great champion for birds of prey who lived much of his adult life in Boise. Morley touched literally thousands of people in Boise, in Idaho, and many more in the nation and the world via his many films for Walt Disney's Wide World of Color series, his own personal falconry and birds of prey films, and his conservation work with the Peregrine Fund. Many people observed Morley flying birds in his North End backyard as a falconer, he gave countless presentations all over the West with a golden eagle on his fist, and he hosted many boat tours in the Snake River canyon with outfitter Steve Guinn. 

Morley Nelson with a prairie falcon 

Morley personally discovered what is known as the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. I know this because I wrote Morley's biography, titled Cool North Wind: Morley Nelson's Life with Birds of Prey (Caxton Press, 2000). Soon after moving to Boise in 1948, he visited the Snake River canyon for the first time. He saw an incredible diversity of birds of prey flying around, hunting for prey on the sagebrush flats above the canyon, and golden eagles and prairie falcons nesting in the canyon walls. How fortunate it was that a man like Morley, who already was totally passionate about raptors, discovered this wildlife resource that was unique in the world.

Morley always said that it was important to let people "feel a part of the environment" by showing them the magnificent birds of prey in action. He knew the birds would sell themselves if people had a chance to see them in person or in a movie.

The Snake River canyon was where Morley worked on "Ida, the Offbeat Eagle," for Walt Disney, a movie that required 12 trained golden eagles for various scenes. He took Marlin Perkins to the canyon to film a Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom segment about golden eagles and sheep. He put an 8-pound weight on one of his golden eagles, and they filmed the bird trying in vain to leave the ground. This was proof positive for all the sheep ranchers to see that there was no point in killing eagles for fear they might cart off a newborn lamb, a frequent assumption at the time.

Morley doing the "hero" shot with
a golden eagle on his fist. His first wife,
Betty Ann, is holding a prairie falcon.  

In the late 1960s, Morley worked with Bureau of Land Management officials to catalog all of the golden eagle nests in the canyon with help from University of Idaho graduate students. They confirmed 25 active nests in 1968 and 36 active nests in 1969. The BLM recommended a protective withdrawal of 26,255 acres that would provide rim-to-rim protection for the area in 1971. Rogers Morton, the Interior Secretary at the time, signed it. Over the next two decades, numerous research projects laid the ground work for protecting the "dinner table" for birds of prey that nested in the canyon. In 1993, the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area was created, protecting 485,000 acres of land and 81 miles of the Snake River between Walter's Ferry, south of Nampa, to Bruneau. It was a remarkable achievement backed by all of Idaho's political leaders, particularly the late Gov. Cecil Andrus, Rep. Larry LaRocco,  Sen. Larry Craig and the late Sen. Jim McClure.

This year is the 25th anniversary of the original designation of the birds of prey area. And the BLM has put a HUGE amount of effort into creating a year-long celebration to commemorate the original achievement and pay tribute to the many people who made it possible, including Morley.

"A lot of people don't understand the incredible resource we have here at the NCA," says Amanda Hoffman, area manager for the BLM. "It's the largest and densest population of nesting raptors in North America, if not the world (approximately 800 pairs of nesting birds of prey). The rich history of people caring so passionately about this area is important, and what we're trying to do is recognize the people who were involved in the designation, and introduce the NCA to a whole new set of people who might not have been familiar with it before."

This would include school kids in the Treasure Valley. Through Feburary and March, there will be multiple presentations about the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area at branch libraries throughout the valley. On Friday, there is a presentation at the Boise Public Library branch at Cole & Ustick at 4 p.m. On Saturday, there's a presentation at the Nampa Public Library at 11 a.m., and another presentation at the library branch in Bown Crossing at 11 a.m. Go see them! You'll see educational birds of prey up close, learn about the NCA, and about more events coming up this year.

I would strongly encourage everyone to participate in the events coming up this year. The BLM wants to create Idaho's Largest Trash Cleanup event on Saturday, April 21st. Sad but true, a lot of people see the edges of the birds of prey as a place to dump old furniture, tires, appliances, building materials and more ... Let's get hundreds of people out there to help! Let's break the record! To inquire and sign up, contact Cory Coffman at the BLM, ccoffman@blm.gov or call 208-384-3485.

Northern saw-whet owls nest in the NCA.  

There will be guided hikes, raptor identification classes, raptor identification field trips, interpretive trips to learn about biological soil crusts, reptiles, insects, plants and geology. You can go out and help band ferruginous hawk chicks! See the event flyer online or contact Cory for more information.

On Saturday, June 2nd, there will be a Snake River Raptor Fest hosted by the Birds of Prey NCA Partnership at the Indian Creek Winery in Kuna from noon to 5 p.m. There will be live birds of prey, presentations, live music and interactive activities for all ages. I am definitely planning to attend.

In August, they will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the NCA with a panel of speakers. There will be more interpretive hikes and activities continuing through the fall.

Watch the Birds of Prey NCA Partnership Facebook page for the latest information as the year progresses.

Joe Siratnak of the BLM led a volunteer planting effort at
Kuna Buttle last year. Hundreds of people helped out.
You can sign up to volunteer this year as well! 

It's my personal opinion that the Birds of Prey NCA needs more love. The habitat out there has been degraded by numerous wildfires, and when things burn more than once, the sagebrush shrub component gets burned up, annual grasses like cheatgrass and noxious weeds take over the landscape, and the birds of prey and their prey base suffer. Approximately 50 percent of the habitat out there is rated in "poor" condition, according to BLM experts.

So let's do our part to help make things better. The BLM has been marshaling volunteers for planting  sagebrush, native perennial plants and forbs, all of which are important for the habitat structure out there. Watch for opportunities to participate in planting efforts to make the habitat better. Again, contact Cory for more information, ccoffman@blm.gov or call 208-384-3485.

For people who might want to try to see all the birds of prey in the NCA, here's a list of birds to identify:  

Nesting raptors: Prairie falcon, American kestrel, golden eagle, red-tailed hawk, ferruginous hawk, 

Swainson's hawk, northern harrier, osprey, great-horned owl, burrowing owl, barn owl, short-eared owl, long-eared owl, northern saw-whet owl, western screech owl, turkey vulture. 

Non-nesting/wintering/pass-thrus during migration: peregrine falcon, bald eagle, merlin, northern goshawk, Cooper's hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, rough-legged hawk, gyrfalcon (very rare winter visitor). 

BTW, my biography on Morley Nelson, Cool North Wind, is still in print. I've heard people say it's a good read! And probably the most complete history of the creation of the NCA from soup to nuts. I will be giving some presentations about Morley and the book in the coming year. Stay tuned! 

-SS