10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2012

Ferruginous Hawks were known as Rusty Squirrel-Hawks back in the 1800′s and they exist in both a light and dark morph. 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. Click on photos for full sized images.

Squirrels 156

Squirrels Prairie Dogs North America Rabbits 156

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2013

Montana has four species of chipmunk and six species of ground squirrel. 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. Mammals ground squirrels rodents'

Chipmunks 181

Chipmunks Squirrels Rodents Montana 181

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.

Prairie Dogs 101

Prairie Dogs Tortoises Owls South America 101

Animal Ethics

DECEMBER 10, 2006

Kansans are fighting over prairie dogs—or what Lewis and Clark quaintly called "barking squirrels." See here.

Squirrels 40

Squirrels Prairie Dogs Dogs 40

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 213

North America America Barn Owls Falcons 213

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2024

We also saw Prairie Dogs , Bison , Mule Deer , Abert’s Squirrel and Coyote. Although careful preparation, sophisticated intel from real ornithologists and a lot of planning had been derailed by half a meter of snow, we ended up scoring 63 species over the weekend. I ticked off 9 lifers.

Denver 165

Denver Colorado Ducks Mules 165

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2019

Squirrel Cuckoo – Piaya cayana. Marathon Prairie Dog Town. Chestnut-bellied Malkoha – Phaenicophaeus sumatranus. Taman Negara NP–Forest Loop. 19 Jun 2018. Black-bellied Malkoha – Phaenicophaeus diardi. Taman Negara NP–Mutiara Resort. 16 Jun 2018. El Tapir hummingbird garden. 01 Jan 2018.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Sparrows 113