Category Archives: Year 1

Thanksgiving Birds!

Year 1

Over the past 24 hours I have spent significant time looking for Snowy Owls, but my timing has been off. These owls are now starting to arrive in the Northland from up in the Arctic. Will this year be an irruption year? The jury is still out, but Snowy Owls have been seen in Spain for only the second time in history. Ornithologists suspect these owls may have hitched a ride across the Atlantic on freighters. Read more via Project Snowstorm.

For those of you who live in the northern Twin Cities area. Three different Snowies were seen yesterday in Crex Meadows! In Wisconsin quite a few Snowies have been seen in and around the Green Bay area (Door County, the Lake Michigan shore (harbors) and inland of Green Bay at various grasslands).

I was back from birding by 7:50 am this Thanksgiving morning. We have four of our almost 7 grandkids visiting. The oldest is ten, which means a bundle of activity in the house. Happy Thanksgiving.

From yesterday’s Snowy Owl search at sunset in Two Harbors. The EdnaG was built in 1896 and is all decked out for the holidays.

Earlier in the day at the crabapple tree. Pine Grosbeaks.

Let’s Go On a Snipe Hunt!

Year 1

Obviously I would use my camera, but for some reason snipe hunting is deemed comical by popular media. In fact, in this clip from the TV show, Cheers, Frazier gleefully proclaims it is “the night of the full moon”. Let’s be “manly” and get out there after dark! (TV show Cheers video clip)

Wikipedia link: Snipe Hunting

Regardless, I watched this Wilson’s Snipe two afternoons ago for almost one hour. During that entire time it moved less than six inches, and stayed right next to the long reeds. Good thing I was not on a snipe hunt. I was lucky to have spotted the bird at all. I will admit the event was not very exciting!

Bog Fog Birds or F’Owl Colors!

Year 1

We picked up a fair amount of rain over the weekend, particularly in the overnight hours. This has a dampening effect on our local owls ability to hunt. After all, “who” likes to hang out in a rainstorm. When the weather forecast showed extremely heavy ground fog after midnight the past two nights, and light winds each morning, I thought one of my friendly neighborhood Great Gray Owls might be out hunting long after sunrise. I hit the jackpot both mornings, and even left a hunting owl this morning just before high noon. Does anyone ever leave a hot fishing spot when the fish are biting? I did!

Each morning I arrived in Sax-Zim Bog long after sunrise (not normal), but I needed to have some ground fog burn off if I was going to have a chance at seeing anything. As often stated before in this blog, think like a bird when heading out in the woods … and find the food sources.

There are quite a lot of photographs in this post. Sorry (no I’m not!). It will give you an idea what the last two mornings were like in terms of owling. I spent close to six hours watching “old gray”. When the sun came out in bursts, the colors were amazing. The Tamarack needles are beginning to have their golden glow; the aspens are also yellow.

Day #1: Fall Colors & Ground Fog

Day #2: Tamarack Take-Off 1 (and a few Spruce)

Day #2: Tamarack Take-Off 2 (and a few Spruce)

Day #2: The Claw! (make certain you maximize the first image of the talon)

Day #2: Cedar Tree Camouflage