Tag Archives: WI North: Richard Bong Airport

Lady … it’s been fun!

This evening may have been my final evening with “Lady”. This Snowy Owl has been one classy woman, and has treated me to all kinds of enjoyment this winter (thus, her name).
Any day now she should start making 100 mile flights around northern Minnesota as she starts to strengthen her flight muscles for the long migration back up to the Arctic. She may not leave Minnesota till as late as April 1st, but the days of seeing her in its winter hunting territory are numbered.
Hats off to you, Lady!
If you would like to learn more about the migration patterns of Snowy Owls, browse to Project Snowstorm. We hope to start tagging Northern Hawk Owls in the same manner next winter in Sax-Zim Bog (i.e. solar array powered tags which off load daily locations via cell towers … even if the owl is not in reach of cell towers for months at a time … pretty cool).
If you’re still with me, we really don’t know if Northern Hawk Owls just migrate south into northern Minnesota each winter, or do they just disappear deep into the Bog each summer to raise a family?? (maybe some of each … migrants and a few local nesting birds … thus the application of this new banding technology)
Lady … the Snowy Owl

I actually started the day before sunrise in Sax-Zim Bog where I found this rather sleepy Barred Owl. In the second image, she “somewhat” tracks a red squirrel which was running beneath her. Given the limited reaction to easy prey, she must have fed well last night. Instead she was just enjoying basking in the morning sun. It was 8F when I took the photo.

Take-Off at Sunset!

Take-Off of at sunset of Snowy Flight #007 … granted a license to kill!

I was with a number of friends this evening. Everyone else was positioned in a traditional photographer location with the sun at their backs and directly upon the Snowy Owl. However, having observed “Lady” over the course of many “flights”, I was convinced I knew where she would go next. Thus, I slogged through deep snow to position myself with the sun partially in my face and where I thought she would fly next. Lady did not disappoint and the image taken above resulted. By the time I reacted to her flight directly at me, this is what I saw as she flew past.  Do not mess with Lady; she has a license to kill!

Lady Eats a Vole (Snowy Owl)

Lady put on a fantastic show yesterday afternoon, which I watched starting 30 minutes before sunset till after the golden orb had dropped below the horizon. As always, Lady is one classy woman! This Snowy Owl is “rad”! Unlike other local Snowy Owls which refuse to hunt till after sunset, I can count upon Lady to come out before dark and move around. It was fun to see her have an appetizer.

Down the Hatch! (lost the light within moments … the golden hour of photography)

Take-Off

Snowy Owl after Sundown (now that the sun is down, the owl is not basked in gold light)