The Snowy Owl was present around 4 pm today at the intersection of Houston County Rd. 3 and Cork Hollow Dr. This is not the Cork Hollow in the valley just outside Brownsville, but the one up on the ridge.
A gentleman from La Crosse (Mr. O'Brien?) had it in his scope when I arrived. The bird was perched on a low fence, somewhat hidden in vines and bushes growing along the fence line. This fence is directly across from Cork Hollow Dr. and between the two farm driveways. The bird did not seem bothered by the traffic on Co. 3, which can be busy at times. Nor was it bothered when buzzed by a Kestral. One of the homeowners stopped by when I was there and was delighted to see the owl! He said he had not seen it previously, but knew some had seen a Snowy earlier in the winter season.
Andy Nyhus called about an hour later to report he found the owl hunting (successfully) in the ditch along the road.
This is the same area where the Hockema brothers, Nyhus, and others observed a Snowy Owl back around Thanksgiving, if I remember correctly.
Dave Williams
Winona
________________________________________
From: Minnesota Birds [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Chris West [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2012 11:34 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [mou-net] Snowy Owl - County Road 3 west of Brownsville, MN (near La Crosse)
I'll check on Sat for sure and possibly tomorrow if I go that way.
--Chris
On Thu, Mar 1, 2012 at 11:29 PM, Dan Jackson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Today, while scouting for the bus trip that I will help to lead on Sunday
> for the Houston Nature Center Festival of Owls (Houston, MN), I found a
> juvenile male Snowy Owl on the north side of County Road 3 a few miles west
> of Brownsville, MN. When I first spotted it, it was on the bank of a stock
> pond. After I stopped, the bird got nervous and moved a little farther
> away. It was at that point, that I realized that it had something fairly
> large in its talons. The prey item turned out to be a Muskrat. It was
> large enough that the bird couldn't fly very well and it only moved about
> 30 yards from the road.
>
> The bird was located along County Road 3 about a mile west of the
> intersection of County Rd 24 and east of the intersection with Cork Hollow
> Drive. I talked to a passing motorist who lives right there and she
> indicated that her father-in-law had seen a Snowy in that area earlier this
> winter. Hopefully, that means that this bird will stick around at least
> until the field trip on Sunday.
>
> If anyone sees this owl in the next couple of days, please keep me posted
> with its location. It would be nice to share this bird with field trip
> attendees.
>
> Good birding,
>
> Dan Jackson
> Chaseburg, WI (Near La Crosse)
> www.pbase.com/dejackson
>
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--
Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI
Interpretive Naturalist
Mississippi Explorer Cruises
http://mississippiexplorer.com/
http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto
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