The weather has been ugly. In addition to the rain, winds have been gusting to just shy of 50 mph in Duluth. This is not weather that Great Horned Owlets love (or me). I took this image of the Amity Owlets early yesterday morning just before leaving for a small cabin on the Mississippi River just north of Dubuque, Iowa.
Great Horned Owlets in the Rain (Day 17 .. 27 days old)
However, the wet weather followed me south. I found many migrating birds hanging out near Dubuque … perhaps their northward migration stalled out at the John Deere Dike Park to await better conditions. It was still wet and windy as I watched a small flock of Great Egrets this morning.
However, we did have some nice sunny warmer weather during the past five days, and of course I also visited the Great Horned Owl nest on those days! The nest is getting real crowded as the owlets grow!
Great Horned Owlets + Mom (Day 14 .. 24 days old)
Great Horned Owlets + Mom (Day 15 .. 25 days old)
One item you may note, birding and photography in the rain and other bad weather often yields interesting images … both the egrets and owls. Don’t always wait for the perfect day to practice your craft!
Oh, Richard, how I love your Owls and photos!!!
Lovely photos. Hope you enjoyed your little get away.
Day 14, photo #2- Momma looks like she is smiling!
I so wish I could photograph these owls. I’m a profession photographer who loves to photograph birds, but I’m not a birder per se. I just love these cute little guys.
There is an amazing amount of effort which goes into finding an owl nest. The first requirement is a willingness to repeatedly take long hikes in the dark of night through deep snow (i.e. off trail) “following the hoot”. Great Horned Owls nest in February or early March in northern Minnesota. They will hoot near the location that they have chosen for their nest. One then returns to the area during the day when it is possible to see and then look once more the nests. Photographing is the easier part of the equation.
Yes. Great thoughts and tips. I have had the privilege of photographing owls at Sax Zim Bog including the GGO. I was even blessed to photograph a GGO at WI Point which has an incredible story behind it. They just don’t come to WI Point so it was an awesome experience. I once had a great horned owl fly right on to a tree as I was walking about. But I’ve never photographed baby owls. Yours are so cute. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I’m a big fan. My friend Michele K. is the one who told me about you.
I have heard about that GGO. It sounds like it has been on Wisconsin Point for about two years. However, its primary habitat I believe is on private land off Moccasin Mike Road. I believe the Superior Landfill generates lots of mice and voles … a primary prey.
Wow. I had never heard that. I’ll be more careful to watch for it. I thought it was a once in a lifetime thing. I live just 5-10 minutes from WI Point in Superior’s Eastend so I’m there very often in the early morning hours. It’s one of my favorite places to go.
Thanks for your photos!
Higher up, the white pines were bending like crazy in the wind. Neither parent owl used any of their normal perches which are near the tops of those pines.
That old dead tree was a perfect place for those owls.