The Incredible 3 Month Journey of Walla Walla’s Endangered Hawk
The Takeaway:
- WDFW has been tracking ferruginous hawks through radio transmitters.
- One recent fledgling has had an interesting journey that offers new insights.
- Ferruginous hawks are endangered, and nest in southeast Washington.
Meet one special Walla Walla bird: hawk 264292
In the spring of 2024, Jim Watson and Mark Vekasy, two biologists with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), met a very special bird: hawk 264292.
Her name isn't the most memorable or evocative, but hawk 264292 was one of three young ferruginous hawks at a nest site west of Walla Walla. The ferruginous hawk is listed as an endangered species in Washington State. The birds face loss of habitat, loss of primary prey, powerline electrocution, wind turbine collisions, and illegal shooting, per the WDFW.
In fact, the conflict between wind turbines and ferruginous hawks is still continuing - as near Tri-Cities, the Horse Heaven Hills windfarm project has faced delays and changes due to the hawk's nesting preferences. Finding ways to build more bird-safe wind farms continues to be a challenge.
The special nest platforms, like the one hawk 264292 was found at, are human efforts to provide safe nesting options for the ferruginous hawks and have been so far, successfully adopted by many hawk pairs. They stand about 15 feet above the ground - high enough to give the nest security, but low enough to allow researchers like Watson and Vekasy access.
The two biologists tagged hawk 264292 and her siblings, and fitted hawk 264292 with a lightweight transmitter that would signal her journey as an adult. Now, they're sharing her journey with us - along with its unusual turns.
Hawk 264292's journey from July to October, 2024
In July, hawk 264292 left her home near Walla Walla and headed northwest, arriving near Alberta, Canada in just four days. Researchers believe that this was likely due to high prey availability in the late summer. Apparently they don't think the "teenager" was interested in shopping at the West Edmonton Mall.
She stayed in Canada until the beginning of September, when she turned south and began a migration. Ferruginous hawks often nest in Canada in the warmer months and then move to Mexico in the autumn. At first, hawk 264292's journey southward seemed typical - she travelled almost 1,200 miles in 18 days to reach Perryton, Texas (located in the Texas panhandle). But then she took a surprising turn - and winged back north approximately 360 miles to the sandhills of Nebraska.
The researchers believed she turned back to find a good foraging area, in need of more energy for her south-bound journey. Eventually, she found a prairie dog town near Julesburg, Colorado, where she apparently was able to enjoy her fill of "yaprats." Hawk 264292 has since turned back south, and was last seen near Lamar, Colorado on October 3.
What will happen to hawk 264292?
The WDFW biologists are optimistic for this young hawk, but have to counter that optimism with reality. Only one in three hawks survive their first migration. Said Vekasy:
It’s not uncommon for coyotes or other predators to catch and kill these hawks before they can complete their migration. And that’s not the only hazard they face. Starvation and wind turbine strikes are common causes of mortality for them as well.
So far our little Walla Walla hawk has had quite the journey - and we wish her, and her species, well as she continues to migrate. If all goes well, we should see hawk 264292 return to her eastern Washington home around late February, 2025 - and hopefully choose her lifelong mate.
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- Washington’s Most Wanted Invasive Species: What Threatens Tri-Cities?
- The 15 best fish to catch in Tri-Cities, Washington
- Find out the hidden depths of the Columbia River in Washington and Oregon
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