This past winter many parts of the northland saw a record breaking invasion of owls. Great Gray Owls, Northern Hawk Owls and Boreal Owls delighted local birders and drew birders from all over the country to witness the spectacle.
How many owls were there? While the exact numbers are impossible to know, the best estimates are have been recently published by the Minnesota Ornithologist Union (MOU). In December volunteers were able to record over 250 owls. In January, volunteer owl watchers were able to find over 450 birds in one weekend. By the end of winter the MOU records Committee tallied reports exceeding 2500 Great Gray Owls, more than 300 Northern Hawk Owls and more than 400 Boreal Owls. Compare these numbers to the winter of 2004 which saw 35 Great Gray Owls, 6 Northern Hawk Owls and just one Boreal Owl and you can see this was one heck of a year.
It is estimated that there are only 30,000 Great Gray Owls worldwide and that 80 percent of these occur in North America. Considering these numbers, it looks like we played host to nearly 10 percent of the worlds Great Gray Owl population last year.
Now it appears we have another invasion on our hands. This spring and summer, birders from all over the region are reporting widespread distribution of several uncommon species of bird–the Dickcissel and the Henslow’s Sparrow.
Neither of these birds is very common in any one given area. Like a wondering band of gypsies, they tend to move around from year to year, rarely inhabiting the same area. The Dickcissel is an extremely handsome bird which superficially resembles the Eastern Meadowlark. It has a warm chestnut colored shoulders with a yellow chest offset by a black V-shaped bib.
As far as sparrows go, the Henslow’s Sparrow is a very attractive bird although rather non-descript. It also has a warm chestnut colored shoulders. The face and head are a very pale yellow with a distinct white eye-ring.
Both of these birds are found in open fields, prairies and along weedy roadsides. While the Henslow’s is a very secretive the Dickcissel has nothing to hide. It will sing its loud and clear song from the top of any perch strong enough to hold them up. Once you become family with the repetitive song of the Dickcissel you will find it much easier to locate this bird. In fact, the way I find them is to drive down the road with my window open and listen when passing weedy fields.
The Henslow’s Sparrow is everything the Dickcissel isn’t when it comes to singing. While it is hard to get the Dickcissel to shut-up, the Henslow’s Sparrow only gives a soft insect-like hiccup call. In addition they often remain hidden and give their call from deep within the tall grasses. Occasionally a male will sit up tall and climb to the top of a sturdy perch to sing but it’s not all that common. In addition they don’t particularly like people around making them a challenge to see.
Both of these birds have a limited ranged in the eastern half of the U.S. and the Henslow’s is listed in several states as an endangered or threatened species. While neither of these birds is as captivating as the northern owls they are a great follow up act in this year of the invasion.