Greetings... Bob Lacker and I saw a short-eared owl at the VOA Sunday
morning. It was flying over the middle of the park, sat down in the mowed
area for a few minutes, and eventually took cover in an unmowed area on the
north edge of West Chester's property. Ken Phillips said that he saw between
three to five short-eared owls around 1:30 in the afternoon. Ken said they
were cruising around the sled hill and flying across Cox Road over to the
University Medical center along I-75, where they were perching atop light
posts in the parking lot. (!?)

I'm not sure if these are good signs are not; if it indicates the owls are
perturbed and disturbed, or if they are comfortable and will stick around
this year; maybe they'll finally decided that enough is enough and split for
less busy locales. We'll know in time, I guess.

Bob and I also kicked up a covey of nine bobwhite quail near the eastern
woodlot by the soccer fields. That's the first time I've encountered
bobwhites at the VOA outside of summer. Also 5+ eastern meadowlarks, and 40+
killdeer. There were a number of horned larks flying about, and what was
probably a lapland longspur that circled the park for a while, giving a
short rattle call and occasionally a two-syllable whistle call interspersed
with the short rattles. We didn't very good looks at the bird, though. It
didn't "feel" like a snow bunting--even though most of our views were of the
bird flying high backlit by sunlight, neither of saw the black-and-white
wing flashes that snow buntings usually show in flight. But one way or
another it was something different.

Take care,
---Mike Busam
West Chester