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~~ nests was not confirmed, however young could have been, and probably were <br />fledged without detection at several of these more remotely located nests. <br />Two additional inactive buteo nests were located during the aerial raptor <br />survey. These nests were probably constructed by red-tailed hawks, the <br />most commonly observed buteo in the area. Swainson's hawks also construct <br />nests high in the tree canopy; however, these are characteristically <br />"flimsy" in comparison to red-tail nests, being composed of weed stems and <br />smaller woody branches than those used by red-tails in nest construction <br />(Call 1978). Conditions under which these nests were observed precluded <br />determination of the species which constructed these inactive nests. <br />Swainson's hawks were observed during ground and aerial surveys within the <br />study area, primarily in association with agricultural areas. This species <br />is considered a "definite breeder", which is fairly commonly encountered <br />within the Craig Latilong (Kingery and Grau1 .1978) and may nest in or near <br />the study area, although no nesting Swainson's hawks were detected during <br />spring 1984 surveys. <br />• Five additional large inactive stick nests, presumably those of red-tailed <br />hawks, were located on cliff sites in the lower reaches of the Good Spring <br />Creek and Wilson Creek canyons. Downy young great horned owls were <br />observed at two locations during spring 1984 ground surveys (Figure 4-6). <br />Although the nests were not located, these observations were sufficiently <br />distant from one another to suggest two successful nesting attempts. Great <br />horned owls are residents within northwest Colorado and are common within <br />the Craig Latilong (Kingery and Graul 1978). This species utilizes <br />abandoned stick nests of other raptors in deciduous and coniferous forests <br />as well as cliff and tree cavities (Call 1978). <br />Two Cooper's hawk nests were confirmed as active within the study area <br />(Figure 4-6). Two additional active accipter nests, either Cooper's hawk <br />or goshawk (Accipiter eng tilis) were also identified within the study area. <br />The nests of these two species are similar in appearance, consisting of <br />• small to medium-sized twigs arranged in a nest of approximately two ft in <br />diameter (Call 1978). Sharp-shinned hawks (Accipter striatus) are also <br />4-28 <br />