[mou] FW: Nickerson & Sax Zim Bogs Saturday

[Alt, Mark]

		Nickerson Bog

		I was given a tip that a Northern Hawk Owl (NHOW) and a Great Grey owl =
(GGOW) were seen in Pine County Friday, both near the center of my CBC. =
I drove north today, Saturday, to check it out.  I blanked on the GGOW, =
but on my third drive on the dirt road that leads first south from Hwy =
23, then turns east through a large expanse of Tamarack, I spotted a =
NHOW perched atop a snag, just south of where the road turns to the =
east.  I set up my video and filmed the bird for 32 minutes.=20
		Notes on NHOW behavior:
*	This bird was very active, I observed it on 8 different perches, all =
within 100 yds of the road
o	On a dead snag of Aspen - twice (15 ft high)
o	On top of a Tamarack tree - 2 times (20 ft high)
o	Perched on a middle branch of a tree - 4 times (From 3 to 10 feet =
high)
*	The bird was out of view for about 8 minutes in that time, in two =
segments, 5 and 3 mins each
o	I seemed to be in the center of its foraging pattern, it flew across =
the road twice, each time only about 2 feet off the road surface
o	These birds do not always "tee up".  If you are in an area looking for =
a NHOW, you may have to get out of the car and walk to view it.  Only 2 =
of these perches were visible from the car.
*	The bird attacked and killed a Red Squirrel.  It flew about 40 feet =
from a perch 20 ft high to do so.  It was very shrike-like in its =
flight. It rested on the ground for only a moment, then flew to a =
mid-tree perch to eat.

		Other birds seen in Pine County on Saturday
*	6 Rough-legged Hawks
*	Black-backed Woodpecker (Carlton County - Net Lake Road )
*	Common Redpolls - 16

		Sax-Zim Bog

		Once again, a great day in the northwoods.  It was a clinic for =
Rough-legged Hawk (RLHA) plumage - we saw 13 RLHA this day, and two were =
dark morphs, one a cinnamon brown juvenile and the other one completely =
black when perched facing you. His yellow beak and orange(?) feet stood =
out.  As he flew, his white primaries flashed boldly, a beauty of a =
bird.  We saw 6 NHOW, all east of Hwy 53 and north of 133.

		Notes on NHOW flight:
*	One flew alongside our car for a distance of =BD mile above the =
treetops as we drove west on 52 towards hwy 7.  We were going 30 mph, =
this bird was doing approximately the same.  The might not catch a =
pigeon or grouse in flight, but this is pretty quick for an Owl, as =
someone told me today.
*	The Greenhouse area seems to always hold a NHOW, the lady of the house =
told us it is pretty much around all the time.  We got to witness the =
hovering flight again, it still reminds me of a Kestrel, though the wing =
beats are a little slower.  This bird hovered about 20 ft over a ditch =
for about a minute. I didn't get to film it, I was concerned about =
disturbing when it was so actively hunting.
*	When it hovers, it spreads it tail, which shows a rich chestnut brown =
hue; its shape is rounded even when fully spread. The wings are a sharp =
taper to a point, but appear thick and powerful, like a chunky falcon.

		Eastern St Louis County

		We observed many GGOW's hunting at roadside.  Notable was a melanistic =
GGOW that was seen 4.5 miles south of Hwy 52 on Munger Shaw Rd, hunting =
on the right side of the road. This bird was all-black, with a charred =
appearance, with no lighter streaking noticeable. It was one of the most =
striking birds I have ever seen against a backdrop of snow covered white =
birches.



		Mark Alt
		Program Manager
		Entertainment Software Supply Chain
		Project Resources Group (PRG)
		Best Buy Co., Inc.
		Mark.Alt@BestBuy.com=20
		(W) 612-291-6717
		(Cell) 612-803-9085