10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2012

If we get close enough we might see a pink maw and slivers of white teeth, ready to take a prairie dog by the throat and choke the life out but also rather perversely adorable. Ferret 492 — a black-footed ferret, Mustela nigripes — raises her head from a black-tailed prairie dog’s burrow, sniffs the April night.

Ferrets 91

Ferrets Prairie Dogs Mammals Coyotes 91

Critter News

JANUARY 2, 2009

"I watched prairie dogs every day, rise before the sun, stand with their paws pressed together facing the rising sun in total stillness for up to 30 minutes," says Williams.

Prairie Dogs 100

Prairie Dogs Dogs Tagged 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 9, 2016

These owls use the tunnels of other species as their nesting burrows, and so can be found associated with ground squirrels, tortoises, and prairie dogs. They are fairly small owls , standing around eight inches tall and weighing a little more than five ounces.

Birds 49

Birds Owls Prairie Dogs Tortoises 49

10,000 Birds

APRIL 20, 2012

Russell National Wildlife Refuge , more than a million acres of prairie, badlands, coulees, and the massive Fort Peck Reservoir on the Missouri River. The soil is heavy with clay, great for holding prairie dog burrows but not so wonderful for making unsurfaced roads that stand up to the weather.

Wildlife 96

Wildlife Ferrets Prairie Dogs Montana 96

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2011

Ferruginous Hawks are native to our western short-grass prairies and their diet comprises almost completely of prairie dogs. Well, the ongoing issues of land development, sport shooting, and the rancher’s war on these animals keeps prairie dog populations from ever booming. Not too bad eatin’, huh?

Prairie Dogs 80

Prairie Dogs Birds Species Endangered Species 80

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2012

I took a ride up to the Fall River Valley back in October and spotted both morphs in the large grasslands where we also usually see Rough-legged Hawks and Prairie Falcons. They are often seen on the ground since their prey consists mainly of rabbit, prairie dog and, you guessed it, ground squirrel. This is the light morph.

Squirrels 77

Squirrels Prairie Dogs Endangered Species North America 77

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2013

Ground squirrels, to those who are not used to them, are more curious beasts, caught in a taxonomic middle ground between the larger marmots and prairie dogs and their smaller chipmunk cousins. The chipmunks, well, they all are fairly chipmunk-esque: small, stripey, and shrill.

Birds 96

Birds Chipmunks Squirrels Mammals 96

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

Even though they naturally nest in burrows mainly created by ground squirrels, badgers and prairie dogs, Burrowing Owls ( Athene cunicularia ) also use artificial burrows. I may be stretching it here but I am going to include my all time favorite raptor here as a cavity nesting bird.

North America 102

North America Birds America Barn Owls 102

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2019

Or, that the grassland Burrowing Owls of Essay #90 (“Breeding Systems: Coloniality”), who require prairie dogs for successful nesting, are different from the Burrowing Owls of Florida, who are able to create burrow nests and breed without the ‘dogs.’

Birds 55

Birds Breeding North America Species 55

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2019

Marathon Prairie Dog Town. Chestnut-collared Longspur – Calcarius ornatus. 13054–13098 53rd St SW, Belfield US-ND (46.6442,-103.1987). 08 Jul 2018. McCown’s Longspur – Rhynchophanes mccownii. 03 Dec 2018. Snow Bunting – Plectrophenax nivalis. Breezy Point Tip. 21 Jan 2018. Corn Bunting – Emberiza calandra.

2018 45

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Sparrows 45