[mou] Red Crossbill - and Owls, SL Cty

[Hagsela@aol.com]

Sunday, December 5 I obesrved a male Red Crossbill on Arkola (Cty 52), 
between Hwys 7 and 53.  He was preening in an aspen tree along with 2 or 3 female 
White-winged Crossbills.  Since this was a life bord for me, I scoped them 
carefully.
    I can't be more specific on directions (curse voice recorders) for my 
weekend thanks to my tape getting messed up.  I spent Saturday the 4th in Aitkin 
Cty, seeing 2 GGOWs (one at Hebron and the other at the end of Pietz's Rd) and 
2 NHOWs.  The Hawk Owl near the Hwy 169 end of 18 was the only owl I observed 
eating the entire weekend.  Sunday morning I set out on Hwy 200 and found one 
GGOW and one NHOW within a half mle of each other, around mile marker 199.

In St. Louis County for the day Sunday I saw at least 25 GGOWs and 13 or so 
NHOWs.  The mystery was a dead GGOW suspended as if in mid flight in a tree on 
Hwy 47.  I talked to someone who said he'd retrieve it and take it to the Bell 
Museum.  I don't think I saw any "new" owls.  My favorite has to be the GGOW 
perched atop a "stop ahead" sign.

I also saw Northern Shrikes, RL Hawks, flocks of Common Redpolls, and Pine 
Grosbeaks.  

Good birding, all!
Linda Sparling
Hennepin Cty.