I am fairly new to these email “lists”. I have been “lurking” for a while but never posted. I am a new birder (just a year into it) and never seem to see any “new” bird species to post just yet. However, I have a question. Just like everyone else I am in search of the Snowy or any owl for that matter. I am an avid nature photographer and frequent downtown Elk River’s River’s Edge Park during my lunch hours to catch the waterfowl and whatever else I can find. Almost always there are one or two Bald Eagles, several Trumpeters, Common Goldeneyes, Mergansers, woodpeckers, chickadees, etc.
Last week I ran into another avid photographer at this park and we were talking about the Snowy in the parking lot just behind the old US Bank building. Just then he said to me and pointed above, “there’s a snowy right now”. I quickly turned around and whatever he had seen was gone, I didn't get to see it. He said right above the bank, it sat on the chimney, “it was big and it was white”. I had my doubts, as I did not see it. I have not heard of a Sherburne County sighting yet this year and how could it be that we were just talking about it and it shows up LOL. Sorry if you are reading this, kind gentleman, but I just chalked it up to being “just a gull of some sort" or Trumpeter. However, today when I left for lunch, I was driving and out of the corner of my eye I saw what was “big and white/gray” flying down County Road 1 near Highway 10 in Elk River. I couldn’t drive and look at the same time so I pulled into a parking lot. I quickly figured out that I couldn’t see so pulled back out and saw it again from a distance. Again, I was driving and couldn’t really focus. By the time I got pulled over to really look I had lost it. It was way too big for a pigeon and too “fat” for a trumpeter. I did not get a good look at all. My question is was it just wishful thinking or could there be a Snowy lurking in Elk River? Has anyone else heard of any sightings in the area? I guess I will be on a hunt even more so now. You can email me offline at greenscrap...@gmail.com. Thank you! Sheila Skogen ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
