Gotfredson-Vreeland-Harris Roads area
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From:             "Johannes postema" <arquata@hotmail.com>
To:               birders@umich.edu
Subject:          short eared owls
Date sent:        Sat, 01 Apr 2000 14:13:59 EST

Coming from the Netherlands, I am always drawn to wide open spaces.
When I have time, I like to make a small detour from my commute back
to Ann Arbor via Geddes Road. I turn North onto Gotfredson Road and
enjoy the "open" feeling of the place. This, by the way, is a spot
where I can always count on seeing  horned larks on the road itself or
in the corn stubble fields.

Yesterday at around 18:45 I pulled over when I saw a female marsh hawk
doing it's low flight hunt over he fields to the west of Gotfredson.  I
got out of the car to look around and soak up some silence, when I 
noticed a short eared owl flying along the road and hitting a pray on
the side of it. As it flew away I followed it with my binocs and
noticed another s.e.owl in the distance. I then looked over the corn
stubble and saw yet another 2 owls, each of them sitting in the corn
stubble and actively looking around.

This was near the intersection of Gotfredson and Vreeland. I had not
seen owls there before and was surprised to find so many of them on one
day and in the same spot.  If they are still there, they're easy to
spot. Just scan the fields on the east side of Gotfredson. The stubble
is short and the owls are quite noticeable.

Johannes Postma

[Note: This area is good also for Rough-legged Hawks, Snow 
Buntings, Lapland Longspurs, and American Pipits.  Most recently 
(February 2004) Short-eared Owls have preferred the field at the 
southeast corner of Harris and Vreeland Rds. -- Bruce]