This weekend Bill Stauffer and I birded around the county and found a few good birds. The best were 4 NORTHERN HAWK OWLS. Three are along Aitkin County Road 18. They were moving around a little but the approximate mileages from the junction with highway 169 are east 1/2 mile, 8/10 mile and 1 &7/10 mile. The fourth Hawk Owl was found by Josephine and Steve Blanich along Aitkin County Road 1 at approximately 5 miles north of the diversion channel. Other birds of the weekend: 11 SHARP-TAILED GROUSE about 2 &2/10 miles north of Palisade on C.R. 10, 18 BALD EAGLES, 39 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, 1 MERLIN, 1 NORTHERN HARRIER, 3 RED-TAILED HAWKS, 5 NORTHERN SHRIKES, 4 GRAY JAYS, several SNOW BUNTINGS, several TUNDRA SWANS. Warren Nelson
