[mou] Greater Prairie Chickens, Short-eared Owl, at Rothsay/Others

[JELLISBIRD@aol.com]

There were 71 Greater Prairie Chickens on the traditional lek at Rothsay on 
Saturday AM. Birds were gathering at 7:15 when I arrived (even tho' it was -17) 
and I counted 71 at about 7:45. Seven or 8 others were sunning in trees and 
shrubs nearby. I drove north on the field road which runs to the east of the 
lek and saw a Short-eared Owl hunting from a No Hunting sign further east of the 
lek. I also saw 18 GPChickens sunning in a tree at TNC Town Hall Prairie site 
further south in Wilkin. Also seen were Lapland Longspurs and Snow Buntings 
in good numbers in Wilkin, Stearns, Grant and Douglas counties on Saturday, and 
in Stearns, Kandiohi and Meeker on Sunday. Biggest flock was 300 Snow 
Buntings, give or take, feeding near a grain hopper at a turkey farm in N. Kandiohi 
County. Eleven Horned Larks were in Stearns and three sightings of four and 
fewer in Kandiohi. Only one adult Bald Eagle (Douglas) and two Red-tailed Hawks 
for the whole trip for raptors (besides the SEOwl.)
    John Ellis (St. Paul)