Bill Stauffer and I birded around the area on Saturday and I did a little birding on my own on Sunday and we found a few interesting things. The most interesting things were a beautiful GOLDEN EAGLE on Saturday about 10 miles north of Aitkin on hwy 169 and a VARIED THRUSH just south of Deerwood in Crow Wing County with thanks to Steve and Jo Blanich. Other spring arrivals and winter hold overs: EASTERN BLUEBIRD, SANDHILL CRANE, TRUMPETER SWANS, dozens of HOODED MERGANSERS, WOODDUCKS, MALLARDS, CANADA GEESE, RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, SHARP-TAILED GROUSE,2 NORTHERN SHRIKES, lots of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS and of course the weekend owl totals of 72 GREAT GRAY OWLS ( 31 on C.R.1, 12 on C.R.24, 14 along C.R. 6 and 31 north of Tamarack) and 3 NORTHERN HAWK OWLS ( 1 on C.R. 1 and 2 along C.R. 6 and 31 north of Tamarack). Warren Nelson
