Yesterday the bird activity at the feeders was noticeably light. I was starting to think that the large flocks of Redpolls and Goldfinch had begun seasonal movement. At 6:15 pm I discovered a Saw-whet in the ancient apple tree near several feeders. It was concentrating on the ground, looking for small rodents. The bird did not seem to mind my presence so I crept close enough to get a couple of pictures, then left it to it's hunting.
I had been wondering when I would actually see a Saw-whet here. I had one calling last Spring pretty consistently and have two boxes up for them, but no activity yet. With the all the feeding stations positioned around the house I had expected to attract a few more nocturnal predators. I'm sure that I have some of the fattest mice in the county! Also new to the Bagley Farm list, our first Flying Squirrel. I was fairly sure that they were present, but they have been very elusive. Kelly Larson Bagley/Bemidji Minnesota Eschew Obfuscation! The middle of Nowhere is Somewhere!