Driving along treacherous, snow-glazed roads through strong gusts of Arctic air is a daunting experience for most humans. It surely was for us on the High Plains this past Tuesday morning and, despite an official speed limit of 75 mph, we rarely exceeded fifty. But, for two winter residents of that stark ecosystem, it was just another early winter day.
Clouds of longspurs (likely primarily Lapland longspurs), rose and wheeled above the highway, moving from one patch of barren ground or crop stubble to another. Having spent the summer in the high Arctic, these hardy birds winter across the Northern Plains, often mingling with horned larks and snow buntings. Feeding on a mix of insects and seeds during the warmer months, they consume seeds and waste grain on their wintering grounds.
Rough-legged hawks, also oblivious of the weather conditions, hovered into the strong north wind, searching the ground for mice, voles and other small mammals. When not hunting, they simply perched on a fencepost or billboard, unfazed by the raging ground blizzard. Also natives of the high Arctic, these large raptors surely feel right at home on the wide-open landscape of the High Plains, however brutal the weather.
