[obol] Linn/Benton Vulture, good central Linn birds

[M & R Campbell]

A VULTURE perched across the river from Peoria (in Benton County) yesterday.

A male COMMON GOLDENEYE spent Jan.1--Mar.3 across the river as well.  (We
usually get one COGO each winter.)

The BLACK PHOEBE continues to hunt along Main Street and along the river's
edge, as it has since November.

A PRAIRIE FALCON has been regular in the Peoria area since January 13.

A SHORT-EARED OWL was beside Smith Rd. on Jan. 15, but hasn't reappeared (to
me).  The ditches beside the local gravel roads are good places to find
these beautiful birds.

The BURROWING OWL at Davis Road has been hanging tough the last couple
weeks, and was standing at its usual spot only minutes after a road grader
scraped past his culvert.
A local farmer pointed Jeff Fleischer to another BURROWING OWL several miles
south of the Blueberry Rd. area.  It's using a culvert across the road from
a house and two loose dogs.  The dogs were aggressive enough to come out
snarling and barking at a bicyclist (me), but the owl, only ten feet away,
didn't budge.  (I won't give the owl's location, since it has enough to deal
with already.) I suspect that there are several more Burrowing Owls in the
area, watching us drive by every day.

Last, but listed, a brilliant PILEATED WOODPECKER visited our backyard on
Jan. 21--#131 for our yard list.

Randy

Peoria