Was driving home from work, well driving home from washing clothes at West Bend, decided to take the drive that goes past McKnight's Point and then Banwart's Prairie. Saw a dark hawk sitting on a telephone pole, so I stopped to see if it was a dark morph RTHA....the hawk, of course, instantly flew, when it flew I saw something owl-shaped flush from the grass on the east side of a farm stead east of Banwart Prairie. Thinking it was a Barred Owl from the grove of the farmstead...I at first ignored it. However, this owl had very long wings, and it flew in long graceful glides like a hawk or....a harrier. When I reached the first Ottosen Intersection I turned around and returned to Banwart's Prairie, the owl was still in flight and I watched it land on the fence-line near the road. I pulled off on the shoulder of the road and got the bird in my binoculars and I was given the best surprise of my life to see a Short-eared Owl, sitting on a fence post not more than 3/4 of a mile from my house in Ottosen.
I have been looking for Short-eared Owls all fall in Humboldt Co. I've several evenings sitting at the Ottosen Potholes, and on the grass strips near HWY 3...with nothing to show for it...and finally I see this bird I've been looking for 3/4 of a mile west of town. It is literally like the Buddhist parable about the monk who loses a cow, walks the world searching for it only to find it sitting in his pasture when he returns home. I did get pictures, and will see if I can post them eventually. The bird was very cooperativce, if furtive. Banwart Prairie is in the field atlas, and like I said, it is literally 1/4-3/4 of a mile west of Ottosen in Humboldt Co. Jacob Newton Ottosen, Humboldt Co., IA --- Please contribute your sightings to our list; it is only as good as members make it! --- Birding channel recommendation for FRS/GMRS radio use: Primary selection; channel 5/0 , alternate selection; channel 6/0 --- This mailing list is sponsored by the Iowa Ornithologists' Union. Membership available on-line at http://www.iowabirds.org/iou/PayDues.aspx. ----- You are currently subscribed to ia-bird as: [email protected]
