[mou] Rice County, Carleton College Birds

[Owen Scott McMurtrey]

Hi, my name is Owen McMurtrey, I've just started school at Carleton College in Northfield.  I've been birding seriously for four years and in some capacity for as long as I can remember.  I've been wanting to post to the list but haven't had much to say until now.

Today there were 50-100 CACKLING GEESE on the artificial ponds on Campus, mixed in with the Canadas.  Cackling Geese are pretty rare in Chicago, so I'm not too familiar with them. Are these the 'Richardson's' Geese, or are there other subspecies that occur here? 

Later I stumbled upon a group of nearly fifty songbirds mobbing an EASTERN SCREECH-OWL in the Upper Arboretum (Carleton's Cowling Arboretum is about 2000 acres of protected land on the northwestern edge of Northfield).  Mixed in with the mob was an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER.  Again, I'm new here so I'm not sure if any of this is significant.


Also a brief request for information: Next weekend I'll be going up to the Gun-Flint Trail area and I'm wondering if Great Grays, Hawk Owls, Boreal Owls, Three-toed and Black-backed Woodpeckers, and Winter Finches can be seen there reliably this early in the year.  Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.

--Owen McMurtrey
Northfield, MN
Rice County