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WILDLIFE RESOURCES ASSESSMENT <br />DUCFWORTH PIT, WELD COUNTY. COLORADO <br />Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) <br />The ferruginous hawk is the lazgest hawk in North America and is a state species of <br />special concern. This species inhabits open prairie and desert habitats and is strongly <br />associated with primary prey species such as ground squirrels and jackrabbits. <br />Ferruginous hawks are relatively common winter residents in eastern Colorado, <br />particularly in association with the black-tailed prairie dog (Beane 1996). This species <br />has been known to breed in scattered locations in eastern Colorado but not near the <br />project area (Kingery 1998). There are currently no nesting ferruginous hawks known to <br />occur in Boulder, Jefferson, eastern Weld or eastem Adams Counties. <br />A survey of potential raptor nesting sites in the project area did not find any nests of <br />this or an}' raptor species. The prairie dog town at the site provides a potential food <br />source for ferruginous hawks, and ferruginous hawks aze likely winter visitors to the <br />project site in winter. The proposed mine would remove approximately 7.75 acres of <br />prairie dogs, the primary prey for wintering ferruginous hawks along the Colorado Front <br />Range (Beane 1996). <br />Long-Billed Curlew (Numinous americanus) <br />The long-billed curlew is globally secure, but listed as a state species of concern. <br />This species mostly nests on shortgrass prairies (Kingery 1948). The presence of water <br />may influence initiation of nesting in the first year. Site fidelity may then cause the bird <br />to return even if nearby water has dried up (McCallum et al. 1977). Breeding curlews <br />arrive on breeding grounds in April and eggs hatch from early to mid-June. No curlews <br />were observed on the property and no records of breeding curlews exist in the area neaz <br />the project site. The proposed project is highly unlikely to impact an}' long-billed curler`-. <br />Swh Fox (Vulpes velox) <br />The Swift fox is a state species of special concern. The distribution of swift fox <br />includes the grasslands of the Great Plains including eastern Colorado (Fitzgerald et al. <br />1994). Den sites are usually located on sites dominated by native shortgrass prairie <br />species such as blue grama and buffalo grass. The}' are sometimes associated with prairie <br />dog towns although they generally excavate their own dens (Fitzgerald et al. 1994). A <br />8 fR0 <br />Resources <br />Corporation <br />