No Easter Bunny...black winged pelicans and a "great" find on this morning's hike

I'll be sitting out the Monday and Tuesday chases this week. I have no interest in trying to chase spring system rockets. The older I get the more I look forward to the slower systems of late May and June...this year is no exception.



Headed out to Pelican Lake to check out the waterfowl and most specifically the large flocks of black winged pelicans which stop by on their northward migration. Some do nest on the huge lake though.





Never got the shot I was looking for so decided to go for a hike that covered a couple of miles on the north/northwest side of the lake through some USFWS land. Saw a couple of pheasants, a handful of deer and a beautiful broad winged hawk I couldn't get a decent shot of. There is a small woodlot on this tract of land which must have been an old farm site at one time. As I slowly walked through the woods, a great horned owl jumped out of a tree ahead of me. "That was cool" I thought. I noticed the owl didn't seem in a big hurry to leave then I saw another owl move from one tree to another. Time to find a log and just sit. Sure enough...what I thought was a squirrel nest turned out to be the nest for this pair of great horns. I took a few quick shots and left the area as not to disturb momma and her clutch of eggs. Now that I know where they are, I'll go back in a week or so to see how the family is doing and maybe catch a glimpse of the new owls before the leaves come out.