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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

The amazing prairie

Stephen Lindsay Correspondent

Finding a prairie here in North Idaho was astounding to me when, years ago, I first moved to this area of lakes, rivers and mountains. The Rathdrum Prairie, just north of Post Falls – or the north part of Post Falls, depending upon your perspective – has since continued to amaze me.

Last month, at the height of our seemingly never-ending cold snap, I again had the chance to marvel at all there is to see there. Winter is actually my favorite time on the prairie. It’s mostly devoid of human activity; at least in the northern part. Anything south of Prairie Avenue should now be thought of as Post Falls.

Of course the real prairie was gone long ago. It gave way to agriculture several generations back. But agriculture has kept the wide-open spaces in a region where mountains and forests are the norm.

In its productive season you’ll see all sorts of farming going on: grass seed, grain, mint, hay, cattle. There will be trucks, tractors, combines and such everywhere. And irrigation is ceaseless. Driving with the windows down, I’ll easily hear and sometimes see western meadowlarks, savannah and vespers sparrows, Brewer’s blackbirds and, in the spring, ring-necked pheasants.

But you don’t see much in the sea of grass in the growing season or the dry stubble of the late summer. And you don’t see anything at all after the earth is scorched by field burning. It’s in the late fall that the prairie comes alive for me. And it’s in the dead of winter that’s it’s at its best.

The roads can be deceptively treacherous. The wind blows snow into drifts that level out the ditches and twice I have driven too close and ended up stuck. The stark landscape can, at first glance, appear quite desolate. But amid the blowing snow there is a lot of life.

Coyotes can be seen at any hour, especially when a deer or elk carcass has been dumped in a field. Ravens, too, are a constant. Large flocks come together in the winter and scavenge the prairie. You’ll first find the carcasses by the continual movement of the large black birds in the area. Some will be flying in or out; some will on the ground around the food; others will be perched atop irrigation equipment or fence posts.

Also perched will be hawks. Mostly there will be red-tailed hawks, wintering on the prairie from their northern breeding grounds. The red-tails that nested here last summer have gone south. If you look closely, you’ll find a few rough-legged hawks here, too, but their numbers vary a lot from year to year. It all depends on how the vole population – the prairie mice with tiny ears, short tails and chubby gray bodies – is doing. In good years, I’ve seen 30 hawks on a winter’s day.

In productive years, there will also be northern harriers and American kestrels out hunting. The starlings that congregate on the prairie in large winter flocks are also preyed upon – usually by several merlins and, around the edges, by the accipiters: Cooper’s hawks and sharp-shinned hawks.

There will also be seed eaters out and about. Every winter I find at least one flock of horned larks. Some years there are flocks of 60 or so snow buntings, and this year there is a flock of 30 or so American tree sparrows. Several years ago there was a small flock of gray-crowned rosy-finches.

There are always gray partridge to be looked for. They are impossible without the snow, but in the snow they are easily mistaken for exposed rocks. Lots of rocks and large dirt clods on the prairie will fly if you stare at them long enough.

Flocks of Canada geese spend the winter on the Spokane River, feeding on the prairie by day. There may be a few ducks in the fields, or at any small spots of open water. Around the farm buildings there will the starlings, house sparrows, and house finches – all the flying rodents of the bird world. There may also be black-billed magpies and a covey of California quail.

The surprises to watch out for are the occasional hardy meadowlark or mourning dove. There are always a few. But the real treats are the owls and the shrikes. Only in early winter have I seen northern shrikes on the prairie.

Only some years have I seen short-eared owls. Great horned owls are always around if you can find their daytime roosts. Most years there will be a northern pygmy-owl or two – these are mostly active in the daytime. Several years ago there was a pair of long-eared owls in a thicket, and a snowy owl has been seen on the prairie for the past several weeks.

The scene changes day by day. If you like to drive in the winter, you could be astounded by the Rathdrum Prairie. If you keep sharp eyes, you’ll be amazed at what you can see.