Thanks to Ben Yokel of Cotton, we were able to see two different Boreal Owls, both hunting in the Duluth area, near the old and the new highways 61. Earlier reports had led us to the the first prospective site, and when that was not successful we explored a nearby area, checking both conifers and shrubs along E. Superior St. That's when we happened across Ben, focusing on a Boreal right between the roadside and the RR track that parallels the street. We were able to observe its hunting behavior at close range for quite some time, a great way to enjoy a life-bird. Well-camouflaged, despite the bare shrubs, the bird was focused intensely, with both eyes and ears, on the narrow drainage ditch between itself and the tracks. It was perched fairly low or mid-height in the bushes most of the time, dropping to ground once; Ben had seen it catch and eat a small rodent. It patrolled along the ditch for the most part, though it later made one brief flight across the road. Ben showed us a second Boreal Owl, hunting the edges of a what looked like a very narrow clear-cut; that owl was perching a bit higher in deciduous trees. Seeing such active hunting while it was still fairly early in the afternoon, was somewhat unexpected. While we were grateful for the opportunity, I wonder if this indicates the severity of the food-shortage or territorial needs that caused this irruption. If association with human habitat offers the Boreals better food prospects, it may also expose them to risks for which they're unprepared, assuming they have little experience with cars, for instance, as was the case for Great Gray Owls in their irruption. Hopefully, night-time drivers will be alert. It would be especially distressing for my next look at a Boreal to be in the Raptor Center clinic. When we were viewing the first owl, a flock of hundreds rose over the woods behind us. It was likely the Bohemian Waxwings, but we didn't get the satisfying looks to confirm another lifer. I wonder where/what they've been eating---and what the record time might be, for those nomads to perch and feed in one place! Linda Whyte ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html