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Small mammals potentially present include the fox squirrel and cottontail rabbit (eastern cottontail and desert cottontail) in small areas of trees around rural residences. Otherwise, mammals are mostly limited to bats (e.g., big brown bat, little brown bat) nesting in the few large trees or common rodents along unmown margins of ditches or in the degraded pasture area. Examples of the latter include the deer mouse, western harvest mouse, meadow vole, and house mouse. Birds A variety of common farmland species of birds, including both residents and migrants, are likely to use the few trees, small pasture and wetland area, and ditch margins for nesting or feeding. These species are described by habitat type below: Scattered Trees The few scattered individuals or small clumps of mature trees have the potential to support nesting or diurnal perching by common raptors such as the American kestrel, Swainson's hawk, red-tailed hawk, and great homed owl. However, the potential for use by raptors is greatly limited by three factors: The large trees occur on the fringes of the site, adjacent to busy roads (including U.S. 85) or human residences. The adjacent lands consist almost entirely of intensively cultivated croplands, which provide virtually no preybase for raptors. Much more numerous nesting or perching sites occur along the South Platte River, which lies as little as 0.25 mile from the site. In addition to the more abundant trees nearby, the riverine trees offsite offer more solitude and greater proximity to hunting habitat for the raptors than any of the trees onsite. Although all of the raptors named above are known to nest and hunt in proximity to highways and human dwellings, the last point above-proximity to the South Platte riparian corridor-makes any use much less likely than if the onsite trees were the only suitable trees in the general vicinity. Besides limited potential habitat for raptors, the trees also provide little habitat for other birds of special concern in the region, such as Neotropical migrant songbirds. Any use of the trees is mostly limited to migrant or resident birds commonly associated with farmland and rural residential areas. Examples include the northern flicker, black-billed magpie, blue jay, black-capped chickadee, American robin, Brewer's blackbird, common grackle, and house finch, and anon-native species, the European starling. Possible migrants using the trees for nesting include the eastern kingbird, western kingbird, American robin, yellow warbler, Bullock's oriole, American goldfinch, and lesser goldfinch. White it is possible that an uncommon species cou{d stop briefly in one of the scattered trees or clumps to rest or forage during migration, the potential for such use is extremely unlikely due to the poor habitat and proximity to the South Platte River. SW TKO Joint Venture, LLC. -Adams Sand and Gravel Mine -112 Reclamation Permit Amendment Page 22