Greetings Birders, My wife and I left the Elk River area yesterday morning and entered=20 Aitkin County on Hwy 47 on the east side of Mille Lacs Lake. We saw our=20=
first Great Gray Owl just south of Malmo and sighted 16 more between=20 Malmo and Aitkin. After breakfast in Aitkin, we drove east on 169 to where it begins to=20 curve to the northeast. We turned south and east on a little winding=20 road with no number that eventually hooks up with County 5 at Rossburg.=20= (The DeLorme atlas was really handy here). =46rom there we followed=20 County 5 to County 53. In the ten mile stretch from 169 to 53 we added=20= another 20 Great Grays and a Shrike. We met only 2 cars on this stretch=20= and were able to drive slowly and really scan the woods and fields. Turned south on County 53--nothing there. Picked up County 4 at Dam Lake--took it and Hwy 65 to RLNWR where our=20 total had reached 55 Great Grays. Thanks to information provided by the=20= naturalist at the Refuge headquarters, we were able to add the Northern=20= Hawk Owl to our life lists. Traveled north on 73 (just northeast of McGregor)--two Great Grays, a=20 Common Raven and another Shrike. My wife at this point made the comment=20= that she hoped we wouldn=92t see any more Shrikes. I asked why and she=20= replied that if we get three Shrikes we're out, and maybe we wouldn't=20 see any more owls. Followed County 6 to Tamarack--1 Horned Lark Followed County 16 to Lawler, County 27 to State 27 to State 65 south=20 to County 2. Continued to add Great Grays at a regular rate all along=20 this route. At this point we had a total of 90 Great Grays. Also added=20= a Barred Owl just south of Lawler. They seem so small after seeing all=20= those GG=92s! County Road 2 =46rom Hwy 65 to Malmo was a very productive. We added 11=20= more GG=92s in the 11 mile stretch. Stopped in Malmo for a break. The store/gas station in the northeast=20 corner of the intersection of 2 and 47 will make you a very large ice=20 cream cone for a buck and a half. Try the French silk pie ice cream. We backtracked a mile on County 2 and took County 38 south to hook=20 back up with 47. Added 3 more GG=92s, a flock of about 20 Snow Buntings=20= and another Shrike on 38. We saw 2 GG's after the third Shrike so it=20 looks as if the three Shrike rule doesn't apply in Aitkin County.=20 Headed home. Unbelievable. Totals: 104 Great Gray Owls 1 Barred Owl 1 Northern Hawk Owl 20 Snow Buntings (life lister for my wife) 3 Northern Shrikes 1 Common Raven 1 Horned Lark Expenses: gas at Malmo--$15.20, Treats at Malmo--$3.00, Breakfast at=20 Aitkin--$12.30 Total $30.50 Paul and JoAnn Gunderson Big Lake Township, Sherburne County= --- http://USFamily.Net/dialup.html - $8.25/mo! -- http://www.usfamily.net/dsl.html - $19.99/mo! ---
