[mou] Great Grey Owl

[Steve and Sherry Watson]

Hello All,

	This afternoon along with my dad we discovered a tragedy in the
Municipal campground in town.  Along one of the winding tarred roads
there was great grey owl feathers scattered everywhere.  Some may have
doubts about how I know they were great gray's but I've seen great
horned and barred before and these were much different in pattern,
color, and shape showing the obvious markings of a great gray,
especially the wings feathers that were there.  I'm not sure what got it
or what happened as all there is, is a ton of feathers, no body parts or
blood.  I have a feeling though that there is one less great grey in the
world now.  The only theory's I can come up with is that some other bird
{I'm not sure what would take a great grey except a great horned owl}
got it or a human.  It was too bad what ever happened.  On the way home
we took a different route up county road 58 and then across on CR-60 and
found a great grey owl perched along the road about two miles east of
the gunflint just past a log house with a large stone chimney in the
center on the left hand side of the road.  The bird sat atop a spruce
tree about ten or fifteen feet high and maybe twenty feet off the road
allowing us spectacular views before it gracefully took to the air and
re-alighted several feet back on another spruce tree.  It was my best
view I've had at one of the spectacular birds and one that I don't
believe has been seen or reported from anywhere that I know of.  Good
birding,

Josh Watson
Grand Marais      

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