Four different Boreal Owls were seen in Two Harbors today. Several birders/photographers were in town, including many from out of state (California, Oklahoma, Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin, etc.). The unpleasant part of these irruptions is that the birds are usually food-stressed (starving in some cases), but it was great to see so many people enjoying them today without any of the bad behavior you sometimes hear about.
Frank Nicoletti found one roosting at 3rd Avenue and 4th Street, which is probably the bird that has been seen around 2nd Avenue for the past few days. Lots of people got to see this bird, including my son's kindergarten teacher (extra credit maybe?). I found one roosting this morning in the alley north of the 200 block of 4th Avenue. This was a different bird than the 3rd Avenue one -- I drove between the two birds a few times. It couldn't be relocated later in the afternoon, but this alley has been a very consistent spot during past irruptions. I showed my father the 4th Avenue owl, and a half an hour later he called me saying he was watching one hunting on the north side of Two Harbors. It was on the Fairgrounds Road, 0.1 mile east of CR 2 and one mile north of MN Highway 61. This is the city's yard waste disposal site. At dusk I found another Boreal Owl hunting from the top of a spruce along August Omtvedt Drive, 0.6 mile north of the Super One grocery store on the northwest side of town. I also heard a second-hand report that the one at Gooseberry State Park was relocated today, but I don't have any specifics. Jim Lind Two Harbors ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
