Happy Leap Day! Today, February 29th, 2004, John Arthur and I were delighted to watch a mature red-shouldered hawk in Big Willow Park, Minnetonka, Hennepin County, MN. We watched the hawk for about 45 minutes (~2:10 - 3 PM) while it hunted from the trees on the edge of the marsh areas of Minnehaha Creek north of the railroad tracks, then flew south of the railroad tracks to perch in trees along the more open waters of Minnehaha Creek. We were amazed as we observed the bird fly to the edge of the creek (a short distance upstream from the canoe landing), where it caught a frog and ate it, as we continued to watch, in a nearby tree.
Thank goodness for natural areas! Pamela Deerwood Hopkins, MN
