[mou] Owl web page
This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --=_NextPart_000_0035_01C2E6E1.7CCDFE20 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi: Hey if you want to visit a neat owl site and read what owls are being = heard in northern Minnesota visit Bill Lane's web site = www.boreal.org/~owlman/ =20 He has a journal that takes you with him as he surveys for owls. Bill = has heard so far a Boreal Owl and a Great Grey Owl during his surveys. = I think he just started his surveys recently. =20 Mike Hendrickson --=_NextPart_000_0035_01C2E6E1.7CCDFE20 Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable !DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC -//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN HTMLHEAD META http-equiv=3DContent-Type = content=3Dtext/html;charset=3Diso-8859-1 META content=3DMSHTML 6.00.2800.1106 name=3DGENERATOR STYLE/STYLE /HEAD BODY id=3DMailContainerBody=20 style=3DPADDING-LEFT: 10px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; = COLOR: #00; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; PADDING-TOP: 15px; FONT-STYLE: = normal; FONT-FAMILY: Comic Sans MS; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; = BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; TEXT-DECORATION: none; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: = none=20 leftMargin=3D0 topMargin=3D0 acc_role=3Dtext CanvasTabStop=3Dtrue=20 name=3DCompose message area?xml:namespace prefix=3Dv = /?xml:namespace prefix=3Do / DIVHi:/DIV DIVnbsp;/DIV DIVHey if you want to visit a neat owl site and read what owls are = being heard=20 in northern Minnesota visit Bill Lane's web site A=20 href=3Dhttp://www.boreal.org/~owlman/;www.boreal.org/~owlman//Anbsp;= /DIV DIVnbsp;/DIV DIVHe has a journal that takes you with him as he surveys for = owls.nbsp; Bill=20 has heard so far a Boreal Owl and a Great Grey Owl during his = surveys.nbsp; I=20 think he just started his surveys recently.nbsp; nbsp;/DIV DIVnbsp;/DIV DIVMike Hendrickson/DIV/BODY/HTML --=_NextPart_000_0035_01C2E6E1.7CCDFE20--
[mou] Sparrows
Sunday, March 9, we had a Fox Sparrow looking for seeds under one of our feeders on Grey Cloud Island, SW corner of Washington County. Had not seen one during previous days, so it came from someplace else. Banded a White-throated Sparrow on Friday, March 7, at Carpenter Nature Center on the St.Croix River. Tom Bell
[mou] a car designed for birders
Howdy all, I have to put my two cents in on this one also. I thought for some time about my next vehicle, considering birding from it among other things and am very pleased with my Jeep Wrangler. Aside from the mileage it is a great birding vehicle. Four-wheel drive to get about anywhere. Very tight turning radius. High clearance. Small to fit some places larger vehicles cant. Flat front windshield ( no bowed vision ). High visibility especially when the weather is nice. Having the top off is awesome. And actually it stays plenty warm in the winter. I have a soft top but real doors with windows. And yes Air and Cruise for the longer trips. It is a bit of a stiff ride but they have come a long way. The soft top does have it's downfalls with security though. The only thing I enjoy birding more from is my Harley :-) .. Blaine Seeliger avoce...@cs.com In a message dated 3/7/03 9:46:34 AM Pacific Standard Time, mi...@cadence.com writes: I've had the pleasure of driving my sister's gas/electric hybrid Toyota Prius this past week. Its so cool that I just had to tell somebody about it. Birding features: 1. 40-50 mpg. Save money on long bird chasing drives. 2. To my knowledge it's the only car you can get in MN which meets the California SULEV standard (super ultra low emission). Minimize adding to greenhouse gases which has the potential for dangerous changes in habitat, food sources, migration patterns, etc. 3. Large windows, front and back for viewing and for holding most large scope window mounts. 4. Now, for the coolest birding feature: when you pull over and stop at side of the road, the gas engine automatically shuts off-no noise, smells, or vibration to disrupt your viewing. Then, when you want to pull ahead a little for a different viewing angle, the electric motor silently moves the car-no ignition noise to scare those skittish shorebirds. Only when you push harder on the accelerator does the gas engine automatically start up for more power. As long as you move under 20 mph (depending terrain) and don't accelerate too much, the gas engine stays off. You can run on just the electric motor for quite awhile with no engine noise to interfere with hearing what's singing along the roadside. Mike Engh Wayzata
[mou] Gyrfalcon at Superior Wisconsin Landfill on Sunday Morning
Sunday 08mar03 - We arrived at the grain elevator area of Duluth about 7:00 am (-10F/-30F wind chill factor), and searched for raptors for about an hour. None were observed, and we headed to Superior to check out Wisconsin Point and the landfill. The only birds we observed at Wisconsin Point and along the two other Lake Superior access points were Black-capped Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches. However, upon our 8:30 am arrival at the landfill, we were pleasantly surprised. Despite the temperature's rapid rise, it was too cold (5 F in downtown Superior) for us to climb the hills, so we birded from the car. There were a lot of active Common Ravens, American Crows, and European Starlings. Soon, we observed an adult Bald Eagle fly over the landfill area and stir up the birds. Then we saw a light-morph Rough-legged hawk hunt the area. About 9:00 am, an adult grey-morph Gyrfalcon flew across the landfill from left to right and directly in front of us. Its appearance caused all of the birds to scatter, and the starlings (about 100) headed to the right (west?) from the left mound and began to climb at about a 35-40 degree angle in a tight flock. The Gyrfalcon continued on a level plane until it was over the center of the right-hand hill, and then it performed an amazing feat. It climbed nearly vertically about 100-150 ft and easily closed on the escaping flock of starlings from below and slightly behind (in about 2-3 seconds), and grabbed one as it shot through the flock. The starling appeared to be about 1/3 the size of the Gyrfalcon, which turned toward us and the lake. We had very satisfying views as the Gyrfalcon flew over our car at an altitude of about 100 ft, carrying the starling to the nearby woods. We then observed a juvenile Bald Eagle hunt the landfill, and then a Northern Goshawk coursed over at a high altitude and the turned back and crossed over at a lower altitude. The 4 species of Gulls (Thayer's, Glaucous, Iceland, and Herring) showed up about 9:45, and were on the wing most of the time until our departure, allowing excellent study. About 10:15 am, the Gyrfalcon made another pass (right to left) over the landfill, but was unsuccessful in capturing a starling in a straight-ahead attack. It passed out of sight only to return again about 10:30 am, again passing over the landfill left to right, and using the same maneuver to capture a starling from below and behind. This one was carried off to the west. We can see why European Kings used this bird to hunt! About 11:00 am, a van-load of birders from Lacrosse, Wisconsin showed up. They saw the gulls, another adult Bald Eagle, and another Rough-legged hawk, but the Gyrfalcon did now shown up again by the time we left at 12:30. Four hours at the landfill had provided us with an excellent show, and some pretty good birding. The Gyrfalcon was a lower 48 states record for us, and only the third we have seen. The Iceland gull was our second record, as was the Glaucous Gull - also a lower 48 record. We'll post a full trip report later. Since the Gryfalcon has not been reported for a few days, and not from this site, we thought that you Minnesota Birders might want to see this report today. Doug Wassmer Lilian Saul Tampa, Florida (hot muggy) dwass...@tampabay.rr.com
