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We simply don't get Great Greys or Northern Hawk Owls in South Dakota. =
You can count on one hand the number of sightings we've ever had.
After having it eat at me for a month, I finally got a chance to head up =
to Sax-Zim bog NW of Duluth for some owl hunting. I left at 2:00 AM on =
Monday, got there about 9:00 AM, birded all day Monday and most of =
Tuesday, and then drove back home Tuesday night. Exhausting trip, =
but...
WOW!!!! I don't know if I really believed the reports I was seeing, =
but...wow!!! In my 1 1/2 days, I saw 31 different Great Gray Owls (I =
presume, since I recorded locations and these are 31 different =
locations), and 30 Northern Hawk owls. It was a gloomy cold morning =
when I first arrived, but then I saw 4 Great Greys in a short stretch of =
Highway 52 west of Cotton during my first half hour there, and it didn't =
seem so gloomy any more!!=20
Other than the usual spots in and around Sax-Zim that people have been =
reporting, I also saw the Hawk Owl at the intersection of Highways 2 and =
200 (just as was reported a couple weeks ago...it's one reliable bird!), =
and as a "going away" present on my drive home, I found 2 Great Greys =
along Highway 200, one of which was way over by Leech Lake.
Plenty of photos of each...Here's a page with a dozen Great Greys =
(representing 11 different birds), and another with 5 Northern Hawk Owls =
(representing 4 different birds):
http://sdakotabirds.com/species_photos/great_gray_owl.htm
http://sdakotabirds.com/species_photos/northern_hawk_owl.htm
Other than owls, I found 5 northern shrikes, both ruffed and spruce =
grouse, redpolls (no hoary), gray jays, ravens, bald eagles, =
rough-legged hawks, and other species you'd expect to find. I have a =
lifetime worth of photos of the owls, so I tried to spend most of my 2nd =
day looking for hoary redpolls and boreal chickadees, but despite =
looking at flock after flock of each, I never found either. I also =
found it interesting to see all the Pine Grosbeaks licking salt (I =
presume) off the roadways. I'd heard that they did that, but had never =
seen it before.
Terry Sohl
South Dakota Birds and Birding
http://sdakotabirds.com
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>We simply don't get Great Greys or =
Northern Hawk=20
Owls in South Dakota. You can count on one hand the number of =
sightings=20
we've ever had.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>After having it eat at me for a month, =
I finally=20
got a chance to head up to Sax-Zim bog NW of Duluth for some owl =
hunting. =20
I left at 2:00 AM on Monday, got there about 9:00 AM, birded all day =
Monday and=20
most of Tuesday, and then drove back home Tuesday night. =
Exhausting trip,=20
but...</FONT></DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>
<DIV><BR>WOW!!!! I don't know if I really believed the reports I was =
seeing,=20
but...wow!!! In my 1 1/2 days, I saw 31 different Great Gray Owls =
(I=20
presume, since I recorded locations and these are 31 different =
locations),=20
and 30 Northern Hawk owls. It was a gloomy cold morning when =
I first=20
arrived, but then I saw 4 Great Greys in a short stretch of Highway 52 =
west of=20
Cotton during my first half hour there, and it didn't seem so gloomy any =
more!!=20
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Other than the usual spots in and around Sax-Zim that people have =
been=20
reporting, I also saw the Hawk Owl at the intersection of Highways 2 and =
200=20
(just as was reported a couple weeks ago...it's one reliable bird!), and =
as a=20
"going away" present on my drive home, I found 2 Great Greys along =
Highway 200,=20
one of which was way over by Leech Lake.</DIV>
<DIV><BR>Plenty of photos of each...Here's a page with a dozen Great =
Greys=20
(representing 11 different birds), and another with 5 Northern Hawk Owls =
(representing 4 different birds):</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><A=20
href=3D"http://sdakotabirds.com/species_photos/great_gray_owl.htm";>http:/=
/sdakotabirds.com/species_photos/great_gray_owl.htm</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><A=20
href=3D"http://sdakotabirds.com/species_photos/northern_hawk_owl.htm";>htt=
p://sdakotabirds.com/species_photos/northern_hawk_owl.htm</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Other than owls, I found 5 northern shrikes, both ruffed and spruce =
grouse,=20
redpolls (no hoary), gray jays, ravens, bald eagles, rough-legged hawks, =
and=20
other species you'd expect to find. I have a lifetime worth of =
photos of=20
the owls, so I tried to spend most of my 2nd day looking for hoary =
redpolls and=20
boreal chickadees, but despite looking at flock after flock of each, I =
never=20
found either. I also found it interesting to see all the Pine =
Grosbeaks=20
licking salt (I presume) off the roadways. I'd heard that they did =
that,=20
but had never seen it before.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Terry Sohl</DIV>
<DIV>South Dakota Birds and Birding</DIV>
<DIV><A =
href=3D"http://sdakotabirds.com";>http://sdakotabirds.com</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV></FONT> </DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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