A Tufted Titmouse made a single day appearance at my brother's feeders in beautiful Hartland. One has been seen here and there around town. Most often, near Hartland Evangelical Church. A neighbor of the church, Millie Olson, just gave me a photo of the titmouse. Eurasian Collared-doves are also near the church. A Trumpeter Swan is floating on the slice of the Shell Rock River passing through Glenville. It's keeping company with three Canada Geese. River otters in the same area. Rusty Blackbird at a feeder near the former city of Bath. Residents of Bath read that most accidents occur within two miles of home, so they have all moved somewhere safer, leaving a ghost town. Millie and Dale Westland of Hayward reported a Snowy Owl along Highway 46 near Albert Lea Lake at a spot fondly referred to as “the dip in the road.” I saw a Varied Thrush in rural Hartland. It is coming to a spot where pheasants are being fed. If anyone is interested in seeing this bird, I can give you a phone number. The landowner is not interested in giving carte blanche access to his property. An injured Great Horned Owl is at the Raptor Center thanks to the kindness of Clyde Bonnema, Lee and Jodi Loverink, and Larry and Sylvia Zevenbergen. An injured Freeborn County Red-tailed Hawk did not survive a trip to the Center. There are a couple of male Red-winged Blackbirds at my feeders. Joe Conley and I spotted a Wood Duck in small waterway near Pickerel Lake. Each winter brings something that makes me go "Hmmmm." This year it is the many photos I have received of Pileated Woodpeckers sent to me by people in Albert Lea, Austin, Owatonna, Faribault, and Mankato. Either more people are noticing or this lovely feathered friend is becoming more of a feeder bird each year. The Hormel Nature Center in Austin will be celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year. There will be many events taking place throughout the year and the Hormel Nature Center is always a good stop for a traveler. My thanks to Bob Holtz and the MOU for making it possible for me to present binoculars to a fine young man at United South Central School. In Waseca County, there is a small flock of Eurasian Collared-Doves near the grain elevator on the north side of New Richland. In Steele County, Eurasian Collared-Doves are seen as birds about town in Ellendale. There are so many Eurasian Collared-Doves around that I predict that one of our local high schools will change its team's nickname to the fighting Eurasian Collared-Doves. Al Batt Your Hartland correspondent
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