It has been a good year for the Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) here in Utah. This has meant plentiful food for the jackrabbit's main predator: the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). In Utah's West Desert, Golden Eagle reproduction is closely tied ...

A close relative of the Piute ground squirrel, the Uinta ground squirrel (Urocitellus armatus) inhabits eastern Idaho, southern Montana, western Wyoming, and northern Utah. Hibernating up to 9 months out of the year, these squirrels form a key prey base for many ...

Despite their reputation for impaling reptiles on thorns and barbed-wire fences, in many parts of their range, the diet of the Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) consists mainly of insects. Spiders, such as the one captured by this shrike in Tooele ...

The warm spring weather has awoken many ant colonies, great news for ant-lovers like the Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus). This female Flicker was foraging on the ground, greedily tonguing up loads of ants, something I have seen numerous Flickers do over the ...

Ground squirrels are truly amazing creatures, and the Piute Ground Squirrel (Urocitellus mollis) is no exception. Hibernating 7 months of the year, these critters are found in particular abundance in southwestern Idaho within the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National ...

It was brought to my attention that we often focus so much on top predators that we forget about the little guys. The various prey species raptors and other birds depend on are important in their own right. Prey densities ...

In many ways Merlins (Falco columbarius) are like miniature versions of Peregrine Falcons: aggressive aerial predators often taking prey larger than themselves. Merlins are just slightly larger than the smallest North American falcon, the American Kestrel. Based on migration and wintering ...

Winter is here and with it comes excellent opportunities to view an abundance of raptors looking to survive it's harsh months. Winter can be a tough time for raptors. With a limited food supply and sometimes frigid temperatures, many first ...

In todays world, a variety of human related factors threaten Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) populations. Native habitat/prey loss, wind energy development, electrocution, and lead poisoning all pose threats to the Golden Eagle. This Golden Eagle, in it's first year of ...