Raptor sightings in downtown Boulder

At 11:00am today, I spotted a low-flying Prairie Falcon at the intersection of Foothills Highway and Pearl Parkway in downtown Boulder. It approached from the north, circled above me a couple of times, and darted northeast until it gained some height out of sight. Then at 11:30am, I spotted two immature Cooper's Hawks flit over the top of an apartment building on 17th and Walnut Street-- right in the heart of the shopping and restaurant district downtown. And almost daily, I spot one or both of the mating pair of Red-tailed Hawks that nest in a mature cottonwood along the Boulder Creek Path east of Foothills.

What can we infer from raptor sightings in urban areas? First of all, it's an indication of habitat destruction. Raptors that rely on native grassland and lower riparian ecosystems along the foothills and over the plains in Boulder County are being pushed to the edges and centers of urban areas because of human encroachment upon their habitat. Secondly, observing raptor behavior and rates of success in urban places indicate which species are more generalists (i.e. have a broader ecological niche, wider variety of food sources, and can tolerate human intervention) and might eventually outcompete specialists (i.e. narrower ecological niche, specific food sources, and sensitive to human presence) as habitat loss and degredation persists.

I also learned from a friend this morning that several trail closures in Boulder County that are normally enforced seasonally to protect nesting raptors from human disturbance have been lifted because of a dearth of nesting activity.

So the next time you spot a bird in your suburb or city that you had never noticed before, reflect on how or why it got there and what is happening on a larger ecological scale!