[Mpls] brief city nature break--crows and owls

[Lynnell Mickelsen]

I was out for a quick walk by Lake Harriet around 2 p.m. today when I heard a bunch of crows going nuts. The hullabaloo was just inside the bird sanctuary, behind the Japanese peace garden. So I followed the noise and sure enough, there was a huge--I mean, really, really big-- Great Horned owl sitting up in a tree, trying to look dignified and ignore this gang.
Crows hate owls....or any other raptor for that matter. I'm told it's because big raptors can eat young crows. So if you hear a gang of crows going ballistic, I recommend looking up because sometimes you can get a nice look at a big owl or hawk. (Unfortunately, most of the time, there's no owl. It's just loud crows doing their version of The McLaughlin Group-----and to me, the birds are usually more interesting than the blowhards on TV ).
I was a little surprised to see an owl out at 2 p.m. Most of the time when I've seen crows harassing owls, it's been early in the morning or in the evening.
Or is it true that with the low light in January you could see owls any time?
Just curious.

Lynnell Mickelsen
Linden Hills, Ward 13
Has a soft spot for crows because they're such social birds.
And who also saw a red fox on the trolley tracks near Lakewood Cemetery two months ago.

_______________________________________

Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy
Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls