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A Bouney Owl! 
By ELLEN STEPHENSON 
ON May 5, 1950, Chicago was experiencing one of its traditionally windy 
days — to be more accurate it was decidedly above the ordinary with a 
wind velocity reaching a violent 54 miles an hour at times. No doubt it 
was the tail end of the tornados reported in the southwestern states a day 
or two before. 
By 9 o’clock Saturday, May 6, when we started our birding around 
Montrose harbor, the wind was still blowing from the west-southwest at a 
brisk 20 to 25 miles an hour. We had a feeling that birding would be 
difficult in such a blow. Little did we guess what an outstanding day was 
in store for us. 
Finding a sora rail on the lawn near the road was the first interesting 
sight of the morning. Rails discovered far from their natural habitat dur- 
ing migration always intrigue me. Then, in going out of our way to get a 
look at the first redstart of the year, we came upon our No. 1 unusual bird 
for the day — a mockingbird. By that time we realized that this was a 
possible big-list day. Birds were everywhere. In no time we had 30 species 
recorded. 
In the afternoon Eggers Woods proved extremely exciting also. A flight 
of hawks, probably 100 in all, perched about in the trees in that com- 
paratively small wooded area. The majority were broadwings, and sharp- 
shins were numerous. Cooper’s, red-shouldered, and rough-legged were 
represented, and I’m sure red-tails, although not seen by us. We had one 
duck hawk. 
But the prize bird in the flight was a Swainson’s, adult with wide brown 
breast band, seen momentarily and recognized as the common hawk on last 
year’s western trip. An estimate of 200 hawks in and around Eggers woods 
was made by other observers for that day. 
A chuck-will’s-widow was recorded but not seen by our group until the 
following day. 
The Lake Calumet area came through with a rarity for us in the Chi- 
cago area too — an eared grebe, in changing plumage. Fortunately it was 
near enough to the cinder flats to make identification possible even with 
his continuous diving. 
For my money, the high spot of the day occurred back in Lincoln Park 
near the sanctuary. With each meeting of another birder the excitement 
grew, as everyone reported great finds of his own. It was while trying to 
track down a reported black rail that I flushed up, out of the tall grass 
just east of the sanctuary, the bird that gave me the greatest thrill of that 
or many another day — a burrowing owl! 
Luckily the park department was dumping sand and dirt nearby and 
the owl, seeing something remotely like his prairie habitat, alighted on the 
mound and to my great surprise and delight, promptly bowed to me. 
After one quick glance at him through my binoculars I tore out after 
my companions screaming through the howling 40 mile an hour wind that 
