Apart from scrubby vegetation and a welcomed coating of green in the spring, the high desert landscape of the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in southwestern Idaho looks like a relatively lifeless place—until you train your eyes on the sky. Thanks to a unique ecosystem that stretches along 81 miles of the Snake River, the 600,000-acre NCA hosts the densest concentration of nesting birds of prey in North America.
Deep, finely textured soils cover the surrounding plateau, making it an ideal habitat for large populations of burrowing mammals such as Paiute ground squirrels, kangaroo rats and pocket gophers. The abundant critters eat shrubs and grasses, and are in turn eaten by keen-eyed avian hunters who pass through on their migration or nest in the cliffs that rise as high as 600 feet above the river.
Birders enraptured by raptors can beef up their life lists here. More than 700 nesting pairs represent 16 different species, nine diurnal (including American kestrels, golden eagles, northern harrie
Apart from scrubby vegetation and a welcomed coating of green in the spring, the high desert landscape of the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in southwestern Idaho looks like a relatively lifeless place—until you train your eyes on the sky. Thanks to a unique ecosystem that stretches along 81 miles of the Snake River, the 600,000-acre NCA hosts the densest concentration of nesting birds of prey in North America.
Deep, finely textured soils cover the surrounding plateau, making it an ideal habitat for large populations of burrowing mammals such as Paiute ground squirrels, kangaroo rats and pocket gophers. The abundant critters eat shrubs and grasses, and are in turn eaten by keen-eyed avian hunters who pass through on their migration or nest in the cliffs that rise as high as 600 feet above the river.
Birders enraptured by raptors can beef up their life lists here. More than 700 nesting pairs represent 16 different species, nine diurnal (including American kestrels, golden eagles, northern harriers and prairie falcons) plus seven types of owl, from the northern saw-whet to the long-eared to the great horned. Among the overwintering and migratory visitors are peregrine falcons, gyrfalcons, sharp-shinned hawks and bald eagles. Birdlife on the NCA extends beyond raptors: the nearly 150 other species inhabiting the area include egrets and avocets, trumpeters, teals, terns, tanagers and towhees. Visitors should bear in mind that facilities are few and far between, and Boise is your best bet for a place to stay if you’re not planning on camping.
If you don’t have the time or patience for backcountry birding but you’d still like to get a glimpse of some of these elusive creatures, head to the World Center for Birds of Prey on the outskirts of Boise. A research and captive breeding facility operated by the Peregrine Fund, which works to conserve birds of prey worldwide, the centre offers educational exhibits on raptor ecology and conservation; a children-friendly display on bird basics; and an art gallery. The main attractions, however, are the birds themselves. In live stage presentations and from the viewing hall, visitors can behold such magnificent living specimens as the powerful harpy eagle, the massive Eurasian eagle owl, and the endangered Aplomado falcon and California condor.
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