[mou] Rothsay Snowy, Grey Part., N.Harriers and OTHERS

[JELLISBIRD@aol.com]

    Birded Rothsay, part of Douglas and others today. Found a SNOWY OWL NW of 
the intersection of 280th Avenue and 170th St. (This is where Wilkin 15 
curves E after going 4 miles N from Wilkin 26.) It was a long ways out, up in the 
top of a small tree. This is 3 miles southwest of Lawndale so may well be the 
same bird reported earlier this week. 
    Saw over 100 PRAIRIE CHICKENS in groups of 21, 9, 3, 23, 19, 15, 1, 1, 10 
and 6, about half S of Wilkin 26 and half North. Saw only 2 Light-Phase 
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, but had four sightings of Male NORTHERN HARRIERS, at least 
three distinct birds. Stayed until evening and saw NO SEOwls yet. Turned up 10 
GREY PARTRIDGE picking seeds or grit in company with a hen and cock pheasant in a 
field edge (dirt road) just west of the Town Hall namesake for TNC Town Hall 
Prairie. (Just N. of T intersection of 250th St and 310th Ave.) There were 
lots of Horned Larks but I saw only 8 Snow Buntings. Forty-fifty whitetail deer 
scattered around.
    There were 53 TRUMPETER GEESE in Fergus Falls (Otter Tail County-1:30 PM) 
with Canadas and Mallards and Greylag (Domestic) Geese. Didn't see any other 
waterfowl there. There were 8 TRUMPETERS on the NE corner of Pelican Lake in 
Grant County where the outflow from Lake Christina has opened the ice. There 
were 4 Bald Eagles soaring in this area, mostly in Grant. 
    Douglas had a Dark ROUGHLEG and a flock of 20 Turkeys but not much else 
(a Cardinal) that I saw. Larks everywhere, no snow buntings, no longspurs. A 
few pairs of Canadas and small flocks around. No waterfowl. Snow cover is solid 
NW of Sauk Center or so.

    John Ellis-St. Paul