Ferruginous Hawks Love Our Platforms!

Last week, TRC’s research crew visited Wyoming’s sagebrush steppe ecosystem to assess Ferruginous Hawk nest occupancy. The trip was stunning, with wide-open landscapes and fast-paced nest monitoring. The team was very efficient; two teams of two researchers each monitored about 60 nests in just two days.

While nest occupancy is down this year, there’s a silver lining! Most natural nests were unoccupied, but the hawks seem to prefer the nesting platforms TRC and others have installed over the years. In fall 2022, TRC placed 13 platforms in areas identified by Master’s student Sarah Ramirez as ideal raptor habitat. In just three years, 50% of those platforms have been used by Ferruginous Hawks!

Five additional platforms in the area, installed by other groups, are also active this year. We’re thrilled to see that platform installations are helping this species. It’s just one of many conservation success stories TRC has celebrated over the years!