Great to hear, Matt! We were also able to get the two lifers that we specifically targeted for this trip: Boreal Owl (Sat, North Shore) and Hoary Redpoll (Sun, Sax-Zim). The Boreal did not come easily at all. We left the Cities at 4AM and went directly to Stoney Point, where we found a Great Gray (first of three) but no other owls. We would periodically vary our strategy: scan trees slowly in promising areas, then drive around looking for congregated birders. I swapped my cell # with anyone willing to do so. Around 10:30 we decided to try going up northeast of Two Harbors, and had gone 20 miles or so when I got a call from a gentleman saying he had a Boreal.... near the Duluth pumping station. (Argghh!) We high-tailed it down there just to arrive minutes after it left. We then went back to the Stoney Point area until around 2:30, with no luck, but fortunately finally got a second-hand tip about a location in Two Harbors, and so we got our bird at about 2:45 PM.
________________________________ From: Matt Paulson <matpaul...@netscape.net> To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2013 12:27 AM Subject: [mou-net] Duluth Area Owls Spent the afternoon searching for the owls around Duluth, starting with the Boreal Owl. At about 1:30 we found a line of cars near the intersection of Scenic 61 and Old North Shore Drive, and sure enough they were looking at a Boreal Owl. We then fruitlessly searched for Great Grays on some of the nearby county roads working our way toward the Hawk Owl location on Martin Road. We did spot the Hawk Owl at about 3:30 behind the dirt factory. Our scope quickly attracted the attention of other birders who then tipped us off on a recently seen Great Gray. We then traveled to Alseth Rd between its intersections with Scenic 61 and Stoney Point Rd, and sure enough there was a Great Gray perched near a white boat where it was said to be! Our final destination was Canal Park for the Snowy Owl, which arrived to the flagpole at exactly 6:10. All four northern owls in one day! The only other birds of interest were several Northern Shrikes seen throughout the afternoon. Matt Paulson La Crosse, WI ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
