26 

 Montana an ideal area for further study, especially long- 

 term projects. 



I suggest the following for further work on the 

 Ferruginous Hawk population of southwestern Montana. 



A. Management of nest sites . 



1. Minimize disturbance . Several researchers have 



highlighted the vulnerability of Ferruginous Hawks 

 to human disturbance (Olendorff 1973, Ensign 

 1983) , an observation reiterated by the fact that 

 I believe 3 of the 5 recorded nest failures in 

 this study were directly and indirectly human 

 caused. Therefore, I propose direct contact or 

 indirect information for ranchers, seismic crews, 

 prospectors, and others using occupied Ferruginous 

 Hawk habitat during the breeding season. Periods 

 of high susceptibility include, but are not 

 limited to, the period of egg-laying and 

 incubation (mid April to early June) and the 

 period of late nestling stage (early to late 

 July) (Myers 1987, Lewis Myers, pers. comm.). 

 Persons should be advised to maintain a distance 

 of at least 450 m from active hawk nests to avoid 

 flushing the bird (Ensign 1983) and should keep 

 their activities in the territory to a minimum. 

 In areas with active ground nests or easily 

 accessed nests on outcrops, a delay in cattle 

 grazing may allow hawks the opportunity to finish 



