At 5:50 PM, BJ and I found a single SEOW cruising a field adjacent to Cedar
Creek Battlefield, about 1 mile SW of Middletown.
Visibility was waning and the wind was brutal, but it was certainly worth the
trip. When first sighted by BJ, the bird was directly
over the car, flying east toward the Battlefield (right near Belle Grove
Mansion).
That part of the county has a lot of suitable habitat for these birds, so it
was not surprising that we finally managed to nab one.
Considering how much good territory there is, as well as the good number of
Harriers we've seen out there, possibly there is more
than 1 owl. After scouting the whole area, we found that the best vantage point
is right along Hwy 11 at the Battlefield information
sign pullover. Good luck to any who might want to look.
Other raptors seen nearby were:
Harrier - 4 (2 imm, 2 Male)
Sharp-shinnned - 1
Cooper's - 1 adult
Red-tailed - 2
Kestrel - 1
1000's of Robins + 10's of thousands of Starlings (mostly in apple orchards)
1 Red Fox walking across a frozen pond
We did not find the Rough-legged Hawk we'd seen twice before. Also, there were
fewer Red-tails than Sunday, as well as fewer
Harriers (6 or 7 on Sunday).
Jon Little
BJ Westervelt
Winchester
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