[mou] Aitkin County Owl Field Sunday Snowstorm

[Alt, Mark]

Sunday came early. Rich Peet and I headed north to record some Owls. On
two previous occasions, I heard vocalizing Great Gray Owls in the "Owl
Field", 300 acres of pastureland that lies 4.6 miles west on Aitkin
County Rd 4 from Interstate Hwy 65; north of the town of McGrath. The
snow accumulated 4 inches by the time we got on site - 5:30 AM. We set
up our various mikes and recorders and waited until 7:30 - no Owls. We
walked the road along the field several times with optics at sunup to
check -no Owls. We drove east to Hwy 65, saw a single Great Gray 1.3
miles east of the field, then south to Hwy 2 west and up 47 north to Hwy
53 by Long Lake, taking Nuthatch Avenue north towards Hwy 4.  At 8:30 we
began to see Owls regularly, all in the woods, roosting. At 9:15 AM we
found a bird on Hwy 53 in a field feeding. We were only 7 miles from the
"Owl Field"; we decided check it one more time. When we got there, at
9:30 AM, a single Great Gray Owl perched on the edge of the woods;
another on a fencepost in the center of the field; with yet another on a
telephone Pole. 3 Owls had shown up in our absence. In the course of the
next hour, we watched as the field was populated by hunting Great Grays.
We left at 10:30 AM with 9 Owls on the field at once. Wind and snow must
have delayed their foraging for their morning meals.  I was up here two
weeks ago at dawn and had 8 Birds actively hunting; it was a calm, clear
day. Not this day. Winds gusted to 20 MPH and snow fell steadily.
Observations:
*	A Great Gray's Downy plumage and thick coat of feathers
insulates so well that a roosting owl collects snow on its head; I shot
a video of such a scene. =20
*	We ended up seeing 22 Great Gray Owls this day,
*	No Owl vocalizations recorded, one may have been heard, and we
are not positive.
*	We saw 3 Pine Grosbeaks at the field
*	We saw a single Horned Lark along Cty rd 4 at the field
*	. I felt certain the Lark would get the attention of the Great
Grays 75 feet away as it foraged in the road, yet it did not. I think
this indicated birds that are in good health, they can choose when they
want to forage and are not interested in capturing difficult prey.=20
*	I filmed the Lark as it foraged 10 feet from me in the fresh
snow and I learned much. Larks clear the snow with their head and beaks,
using a broad sweeping motion as it leans forward, bill extended
straight out, then turns its whole body right then left and right in
rapid succession, flinging the snow aside until the grass is visible) it
then uses its beak to pick among the grasses for food, not unlike a
buffalo clearing snow away with its head. It cleared spots of the road
off twice, but when no grasses were exposed, it moved about, when it
found the grassy road edge, it foraged intensively. One area it swept
was about 2 feet long and 6 inches wide, and the flecks of dirt
speckling the new whiteness of the fresh snow.
*	 I thought this was early for Horned Lark in Aitkin County, but
Tony Hertzel advises me they should already be in the Duluth area, that
this is the first spring migrant we see move through the state most
years. It is in winter plumage yet.=20
*	Tony explained the Lark does not have the foot structure to use
its feet to scrape.=20
*	Rich and I found the Great Gray that has become very dependable
about 2 miles west of the Owl field and set up to record its calls.
Nothing, as it sat back in the woods, but we got great Red Breasted
Nuthatch calls as is harangued the resting Owl. This must be the best
way to get these high energy birds to stay put for 5 minutes and call.=20

I love audio and video recording of birds. Capturing specific behaviors
is my greatest joy in birding right now. I have over 4 hours of Great
Gray and Northern Hawk Owl footage right now, after editing; I may have
as much as an hour of quality (for me) footage.  It isn't professional
quality, but the actions it captures are clear and can be shared, I
learn thing s from watching that I never knew I captured. It is the best
documentation you can have of a bird or its behavior. Good Birding.



Mark Alt=20
Brooklyn Center, MN=20
mark.alt@bestbuy.com=20
"I recalled that I had read somewhere that in the Middle Ages Hell was
envisioned as a place without birds." Jim Harrison=20