1/25/06-- Beaver Creek WMA, Fillmore County Greetings:
This afternoon at 5:20 p.m. I found 4 short-eared owls at Beaver Creek WMA in southwestern Fillmore County. To reach this location, drive south of Spring Valley (approx. 8 miles) to Fillmore CR 26. Head west for 3 miles, then drop a mile south. You're then close. There are a few tracts of grassland to be looked over, but in the field opposite of the parking lot with two rows of spruce is where there were the 4 owls, a redtail, a roughleg, and 1 northern harrier (male). The owls were originally found by Steve Houdek and myself on Sunday, January 15. On the 15th, there were only 2 owls present, along with 4 rough-legged hawks and 3 northern harriers (2 males, 1 female). Today the birds were vocalizing--yelping or barking, however one might characterize the sound. It was really fun watching the birds flying around interacting often with one another. When leaving the area around 6 p.m., I could still hear the birds vocalizing. Old Business: My brother, Chris Hockema, and I found a GRAY CATBIRD at Oakwood Cemetery on Monday, January 23. The bird was in the larger white cedar arbivitae located at the east end of the cemetery. This was the first catbird either one of us have seen in January! And finally, there has been a female wood duck consistently being seen below the dam, near Silver Lake, in Rochester. It was found by Chris and I while scouting for the Rochester CBC in early December. It was last seen on Monday, January 23. John Hockema Rochester, MN
