In my continuing series of “waterlogged owls”, I enjoyed watching this female Snowy this afternoon in the pouring rain (I sat in a dry car). She did not appreciate the rain. Today is the latest (April 11th) day I have ever seen a Snowy Owl, but with migration stopped because of northeasterly winds off Lake Superior and rain, she has little incentive to head north. Snowy’s often follow waterfowl north; thus when the migration kicks back in with dryer conditions and a south wind, she should move north with her gravy train.
Category Archives: Year 8
Owlets Growing!
My Great Horned Owlets are growing fast. About one week ago I could barely see them in the nest. Now, by 3:15 pm … long before sunset … both parents were hunting to satisfy their demands for food. I remember my own Mom claiming I was a bottomless pit when came to eating. The twins are similar, and always want to eat.
Momma Owl coming back from a hunt. Which way do you think the wind is blowing?
Guard Duty …
The other reason for the earlier than normal hunting may be our ugly weather. Today is finally dry without fog or high winds … much better hunting conditions.
This morning I took time off from the owls to check local ponds. The number of waterfowl is still not large, but I did enjoy seeing Mr. and Mrs. Bufflehead. They are an early migrant as they will nest near the Arctic Ocean.
Rain Bird Migration
The weather has been horrible the past three days … 40F, high winds, rain, and today … dense, dense fog. Given the winds have been out of the Northeast, you would think any self-respecting songbird would hang tight and wait for favorable conditions, but nooooo!
My feeders have been visited by Common Redpolls, Slate Colored Juncos, Fox Sparrows, American Tree Sparrows, Pine Siskins, and even one Yellow-Rumped Warbler (plus my local usual suspects). While it may seem crazy to keep feeders out early in the spring (think Black Bears), and I will have my feeders ripped down, these birds ARE hungry. I get to see warblers eating suet; siskins eating suet, and redpolls eating suet. None of these birds normally eat these foods, but when your starving …
Most of the these birds are headed up to the northern Boreal Forest or the southern Tundra. The photographic conditions have been horrible … very low light and long shutter speeds. However about one year ago I first tried “auto haze remover” for Lake Superior Fog. It works pretty well.
Common Redpoll (female)
American Tree Sparrow
Owl Photo of the Day … Wet Mom
Not to be outdone … Wet Owlet.
Mom was only sitting five feet from the nest, directly on the other side of the trunk. How many of you Moms ever hid from your children before?!