All posts by richardhoeg@gmail.com

24 Hours of Northland Owling

Year 10,

Early June is the time of year one often finds owls active after sunrise. Their owlets are getting big, and require lots of food, which means hunting lasts longer. Yesterday in addition to my local Great Horned Owls (see end of post), I watched a Great Gray Owl hunt for a bit shy of two hours up in Sax-Zim Bog. Actually the parent bird was still hunting when I left, but its hunting locale was getting to a boggy area where it was difficult to walk.

Sax-Zim Bog Great Gray Owl (dawn hunter – video link for email subscribers)

Hunting

Preening

Crow Fly-Over (the owl stands up tall and imitates a deadhead snag)

Back to Hunting

FuzzBall and its Great Horned Owl Mom

Hiding from Mosquitoes

Year 10,
Oh my … mosquitos. I had to set up the water system yesterday at our cabin 100 miles NW of Duluth. Remember the Off commercial where the person sticks his arm in a container of millions of mosquitoes? I was the before picture. The water level is also super high … highest ever. We are the first lake in the Hudson Bay Watershed. If you are anywhere downstream from us in northern Minnesota or Canada … watch out!
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Thus, I decided I would get away this morning to a favorite wilderness spot of mine in the Pine Island State Forest near Big Falls, Minnesota (left the cabin at 4:50 am). If I thought the mosquitoes were bad at NorthStar Lake, in the bog area near Toomey-Williams Forest Road the swarm was out in full force. Getting out of the car to bird was a non starter. Even opening the window for a few seconds to take a photograph was dumb. I did see a Black Bear which I believe was running to get away from the nasty bugs.
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Anyhow a few images from today … first an early morning Thunder Boomer threatened.

I was surprised this American Kestrel let me get so close and did not spook.

While bike riding near Northstar Lake, a pair of loons were fishing in the shallows of Caribou Lake.

Junior Branches!

Year 10

Over the past three days the remaining owlet, junior, has progressed from loving its nest to branching. Mom could not be happier! See the timeline from Cornell. Owlets branch about day #40 of their life, and fly about day #48.

Three days ago at sunrise … nest bound

Two days ago … getting braver on the nest’s edge

Yesterday evening … almost there

Sunrise this morning … six feet above the nest … branching!

Proud Momma Great Horned Owl!