I left my house for the Sax-Zim bog at 1 pm, so didn't get there until after 2, and couldn't cover some of the roads I usually do and had to go a little quicker than I like and stay in the car to finish up before dark. But in the time I was there I counted 47 Great Gray Owls and 8 Northern Hawk Owls--these were all close enough to the road that I could see them easily as I drove without anyone else with me. One Great Gray flew at another and the two had something of a fight, but both ended up staying in that area.
I was in my Prius, and just have to say it's the perfect birding car. Not only did I average 44 mpg (the mileage is significantly lower than normal when temperatures are low like this, but 44 isn't too bad!), but every time I stop for a bird, the gas engine automatically cuts out as the car switches to just the electric motor, so the car is wonderfully silent--and then there's no ignition to start up when I go again. (Disclaimer--I'm not related to and don't personally know any Toyota dealers, employees, etc., and have no connections whatsoever to the company. I just think they've made the perfect car for birding.) Laura Erickson Duluth, MN Producer, "For the Birds" radio program <http://www.lauraerickson.com/> There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. --Rachel Carson
