Grainswest - Fall 2024

Fall 2024 Grains West 14 STORY AND PHOTO BY PAULA CAMPBELL ON A SWELTERING DAY IN JUNE, Nichole Neubauer enlisted a recent graduate of the Medicine Hat College Sustainable Innovation program to set up a ferruginous hawk nesting platform on a grassland pasture area on her farm near the southern Alberta city. Atop a telephone pole roughly four metres off the ground, cross pieces support the flat, triangular structure. Neubauer said the hawks have historically helped control the farm’s rodent population and the platform will assist in efforts to secure a healthy future for the birds. The project is in line with an Alberta Environment and Protected Areas project that has made significant strides to restore the hawk’s diminished population. The ferruginous hawk is found throughout the Great Plains of North America, and its nesting and breeding territory extends into southeast Alberta. The birds’ population dwindled due to loss of its grassland habitat, prey and nesting sites. Though the North Amer- ican population is healthy, they were listed as endangered under Alberta’s Wildlife Act in 2006. Population restora- tion has been difficult for these sensitive birds of prey. “Ferruginous hawks tend to nest in those lone trees on the Prairie. You’re driving along for miles, and suddenly a tree pops up,” said Cindy Kemper, a spe- cies at risk biologist with the provincial government. “There is almost always a nest in the tree because it’s the only real estate around.” The first iteration of the Alberta Ferruginous Hawk Recovery Plan was launched in 2014. The province released its updated plan on Feb. 21. Made up of researchers and representatives of Indigenous communities, industry and government, Kemper is part of the THE FARMGATE Farmershelpfeatheredfriends Updated recovery plan supports endangered ferruginous hawk Alberta Ferruginous Hawk Recovery Team, which is responsible for the imple- mentation of the plan. Over the last decade, as the Recovery Team has focused on threat assess- ment and public education about hawk conservation, it has taken recovery actions to boost the birds’ population. An encouraging sign, its population is on an upward trend. In 2015, there were an estimated 865 pairs. Conducted in 2022, the latest survey indicated an increase to an estimated 1,417 pairs. This confirmed the initial plan worked, and the Recovery Team hopes the program will continue to support the hawks’ population growth. The updated plan commits to build upon successful conservation efforts with the protection of the hawks’ grassland habitat, nest structures and availability of prey. It also pledges continued co-op- eration with landowners who wish to support hawk conservation. The restoration of these pest control specialists is of interest to farmers, as one ferruginous hawk family can consume about 500 Richardson’s ground squirrels annually. “The ground squirrels are a major part of their diet,” said Kemper. Sensitive indicators of ecosystem health, the presence of the hawks is a sign grass- land management is being done right, she added. “We built some nesting platforms to further support one on our grassland that was installed about 30 years ago,” said Neubauer. “It gets used every single year.” And each year, the hawks go to work on the local pest population. “We’ve seen an infestation of gophers, and the difference was remarkable in the vicinity where the platform is.” To ensure such platforms are built in appropriate places, farmers are asked to work with their regional Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services office or the Alberta Conservation Association. Farmers are also encouraged to leave shelterbelts and lone-standing trees in- tact as habitat options for nesting hawks. The Alberta Ferruginous Hawk Recovery Plan was first formulated in 2014. Following its initial success, an updated plan was released earlier this year.