[mou] Short-eared Owl--Fillmore County

[John Hockema]

1/25/06-- Beaver Creek WMA, Fillmore County

Greetings:

This afternoon at 5:20 p.m. I found 4 short-eared owls at Beaver Creek WMA 
in southwestern Fillmore County.  To reach this location, drive south of 
Spring Valley (approx. 8 miles) to Fillmore CR 26.  Head west for 3 miles, 
then drop a mile south.  You're then close.  There are a few tracts of 
grassland to be looked over, but in the field opposite of the parking lot 
with two rows of spruce is where there were the 4 owls, a redtail, a 
roughleg, and 1 northern harrier (male).

The owls were originally found by Steve Houdek and myself on Sunday, January 
15.  On the 15th, there were only 2 owls present, along with 4 rough-legged 
hawks and 3 northern harriers (2 males, 1 female).

Today the birds were vocalizing--yelping or barking, however one might 
characterize the sound.  It was really fun watching the birds flying around 
interacting often with one another.  When leaving the area around 6 p.m., I 
could still hear the birds vocalizing.

Old Business:  My brother, Chris Hockema, and I found a GRAY CATBIRD at 
Oakwood Cemetery on Monday, January 23.  The bird was in the larger white 
cedar arbivitae located at the east end of the cemetery.  This was the first 
catbird either one of us have seen in January!

And finally, there has been a female wood duck consistently being seen below 
the dam, near Silver Lake, in Rochester.  It was found by Chris and I while 
scouting for the Rochester CBC in early December.  It was last seen on 
Monday, January 23.

John Hockema
Rochester, MN