I don’t know about you, but I would hate to be this Great Horned Owl right about now!
This image was taken this morning up on Hawk Ridge in Duluth, Minnesota. The owl is a decoy, but the Merlin is very much real. Had fun watching the Merlin attack the decoy almost 15 times.
Consider visiting Duluth and Hawk Ridge this Fall right at sunrise. I have found that when there are fewer people around, like at sunrise, the attacks on the owl decoy are much more frequent both in terms of the numbers of hawks making the attack, and the number of attacks per bird.
While you will see more birds later in the day when the thermals start to rise off the hill, I enjoy the drama of these attacks. As more people arrive, the hawks often tend to stay farther away from the viewing platform and crowds.
