[mou] Great Gray and N Hawk Owls

[Kim R Eckert]

I recently received a couple of reports of northern owls from 2 
northern Minnesota locations:

- Dee Kuder of Crane Lake observed a Great Gray Owl back on 12 October 
in N St Louis Co, along Minn Hwy 73 near the jct of Co Rd 22 and the 
town of Sturgeon.

- More recent and interesting were the 2 N Hawk Owls seen by visiting 
CA birders Frank & Susan Gilliland on 24 October in N Beltrami Co, at 
mile 42 on Minn Hwy 72, which is about 5 mi N of Waskish.

The question naturally comes to mind as to whether these will prove to 
be just isolated sightings or as harbingers of another irruption of 
northern owls this fall and winter. Such repeat irruptions are rare but 
possible: they occurred in 1990-91 & 1991-92 (primarily Great Grays) 
and in 1995-96 & 1996-97 (all 4 northern species).

Kim Eckert