Al Nelson and I traveled Pine County this afternoon to see if the owls = are moving out. They are not. We did not look and run, but stopped for = at least 3-4 minutes for each Owl, trying to get feeding footage on my = Digital Video. I filmed all but 3 of these birds. =20 Notes on GGOW observations and behavior: * These were all adult birds, with much brown, worn plumage visible = inmost birds we studied * 10 of the 22 GGOW were perched atop Utility Poles. * 1 GGOW ( #1)was on a utility wire * These were very active, alert birds, all but 5 changing perches every = 3-4 minutes.=20 * We stayed back at least 75 ft and shut the car off, except for one = where Al stopped right under the bird - he didn't see it.=20 o Two of the birds seemed disrupted by even this level of precaution. = The rest were actively working face tilted to pick up rodent noise * 2/3 of the GG0W were adjacent to farm land and close to farm = buildings. =20 o Rodents must be in abundance their, not hard to imagine o Pay special attention to farm building and field areas * The only bird that fed did so in a stand of Jack Pine, so we missed = it. * GGOW are more abundant than ever in this county. Al Nelson lives = locally, he sees them clustered every day but in different spots each = day, they are not like Hawk Owls, which are in the same area every day = for weeks.=20 * The roads around Oak Lake hold amazing numbers of GGOW's, but they = move freely around the area. * The temps went from -5=B0 @ 3:35 PM to -15=B0 @ 5:15 PM. This did not = seem cold for these birds, they remained very active and did not even = appear to be "fluffed up". Al saw one two days ago when it was -24=B0 = and it was so "fluffed up" that it appeared like a round ball of = feathers. *=09
1/16/05; 22 GGOW sightings: 3:35 PM till 5:15 PM, All in Northern Pine = County, page 57 in MN DeLorme. These are the actual sign names, not on = any maps. 1. Hill street .1 Mi W of Military Rd (50) just east of Sturgeon Lake = (3:35 PM)=20 2. Pioneer Rd .1 Mi W of Partridge Rd (by Lake Eleven) 3. Pioneer Rd .5 Mi E of Partridge Rd (by Lake Twelve) 4. Shadow Oak Rd (cr163) 1 Mi E of Willow Hay Rd (49) 5. Shadow Oak Rd (cr163) .5 Mi W of Koecher (pronounced Kegger) Rd (48) 6. Shadow Oak Rd (cr163) .25 Mi E of Koecher Rd (48) 7. Shadow Oak Rd (cr163) .5 Mi S of Oak Shade Rd (174) 8. Koecher Rd (48).25 Mi N of Berger Rd=20 9. Intersection of Shady Oak Rd (56) and Oak Leaf Rd (47) (4:20 PM) 10. Same as # 9, across the Rd on edge of field=20 11. Willow Hay Rd (49) 1.5 Mi N of Shadow Oak Rd (cr163) 12. Koecher Rd (48) .1 Mi N of Willow Hay Rd (49) intersection w/Shadow = Oak Rd (cr163) 13. Koecher Rd (48) .5 Mi N of Willow Hay Rd (49) intersection w/Shadow = Oak Rd (cr163) 14. County Line Road (10) 2.0 Mi W of town of Nickerson @Hwy 23 15. Oak Leaf Rd (47) .5 Mi W of Duquette @Hwy 23 16. Koecher Rd (48) .75 Mi S of Oak Leaf Rd (47) 17. Kerrick Rd (46/cr154) 2.5 Mi E of Kerrick @Hwy23=20 18. Kerrick Rd (46/cr154) 3.5 Mi E of Kerrick @Hwy23 19. 30 ft away from #18 20. Kerrick Rd (46/cr154) 3.6 Mi E of Kerrick @Hwy23 perched on Deer = Feeder 21. Kerrick Rd (46/cr154) 3.0 Mi E of Kerrick (we refound #17 & #18 and = saw this one) 22. Hwy 46 3.0 Mi W of Kerrick (5:15 pm) NHOW seen at corner of HWY 46 and Military Rd (50) - top of pole. Mark Alt=20 Brooklyn Center, MN=20 [email protected]=20 "I recalled that I had read somewhere that in the Middle Ages Hell was = envisioned as a place without birds." Jim Harrison
