[mou] Wilkin Co. Short-eared Owls

[patrick.beauzay@ndsu.edu]

Hello all,

I stopped at Rothsay WMA on my way home to Fargo today to look for owls. I
was not disappointed! I posted up about 3/4 mile east of the junction of
190th and 280th at about 4:00 p.m. Short-eared owls started flying at
about 4:15 and were very active by 4:30. I counted 12 owls in the air at
one point. As it got too dark for photography, I drove back west on 190th
and then north on 280th and added an additional 6 owls.  I think 18 is a
conservative count of what's actually there.  I did capture a candid photo
of an owl perched on a NO TRESPASSING sign.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/patsphotos/

Also present:

2 Northern Harriers
4 Rough-legged Hawks (no dark morphs)
3 American Kestrels
2 Greater Prairie-Chickens
1 Ring-necked Pheasant
1 American Tree Sparrow
About 100 Red-winged Blackbirds.

Some excitement on the prairie this evening. I was wathcing a harrier
gliding over the grass when two prairie-chickens flushed up in front of
the harrier. The harrier had no sooner made a half-hearted pass at one of
the chickens when a short-eared owl came swooping in and harried the
harrier for about a 1/4 mile.  I love these little nature dramas!

Good Birding!

Pat



Patrick Beauzay
Department of Entomology
217 Hultz Hall, Bolley Drive
North Dakota State University
Fargo, ND 58105
701-231-9491
Patrick.Beauzay@ndsu.nodak.edu

http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/entomology/
http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/ndsu/beauzay/tigerbeetles/index.htm
http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/ndsu/beauzay/Mounting_Chalcidoidea/Chalcmount.htm