Hi fellow birders, I birded the eastern part of Amherst Island last night and located 12 owls in three hours. Waiting for the ferry at Millhaven, a dark-morph ROUGH-LEGGEG HAWK flew in from Amherst Island, while a female NORTHERN HARRIER flew out from the mainland towards the island. At the KFN-property I found three SNOWY OWLS perching on fence posts and in trees, along with another NORTHERN HARRIER, two light-morphed ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, a RED-TAILED HAWK, and a NORTHERN GOSHAWK flying by. In the plantation opposite the KFN-property, numerous RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS and five COMMON GRACKLES were gathering to roost.
Walking in to Owl Woods from the southern lakeshore along a row of pines and spruces, I flushed two LONG-EARED OWLS and a RED-TAILED HAWK. In the Jack Pine-plantation, I came across another flock of five LONG-EARED OWLS roosting on the west side of the plantation. I did not have time to check the Cedar groves close to the feeder, but I was not able to find any BOREAL OWLS in the Jack Pines or the surrounding Cedars. On my return towards the ferry near dusk, I spotted two hunting SHORT-EARED OWLS just outside Stella. Good birding, Frode Jacobsen Kingston frode.jacobsenATnhm.uio.no
