Sax-Zim Bog Northern Hawk Owl

Year 7

Some days the birds just don’t understand. While this Northern Hawk Owl made itself available for photographs, in over an hour of watching the bird out in the country side never once did it move to the nearby spruce trees which were glistening with hoar frost on a cold sunny morning (-22F at one point). Oh well, even though I have often seen this particular bird on said spruces, it was a powerline photo for me.

Northern Hawk Owl

A few comments if you are visiting Sax-Zim Bog this winter:

  1. Only park on one side of the road. These dirt roads are not very wide and the locals don’t appreciate three or four cars on both sides of the roads. It’s hard to drive amongst the birders.
  2. Great Gray Owls are present on more than just Admiral Road. You do not need to be part of the crowd on that remote road. Explore the miles of other roads in the Bog.
  3. Be careful when you pull over to park. Snow plow drivers plow the roads wider than the actual road itself. Many visitors have suddenly found their cars stuck in deep snow as the outside wheels tip down into the roadside ditch. Tows are costly given the remoteness of the area.
  4. I have found dusk to be much better for seeing Great Gray Owls this winter. The mouse / vole population is quite high, and thus there is little reason for the owls to hunt past sunrise. Remember, sunset is the owl’s breakfast time. All bets are off during stormy, windy weather.
  5. Have fun and dress warmly. Temperatures in the Bog are routinely 15 degrees colder than in the Duluth area. Last winter Cotton, Minnesota (entrance to the Bog) had a temperature reading of -55F (actual temperature, not windchill)

Snowy Owl in a Snow Storm!

Year 7

Most people might choose to stay home in the midst of a snow storm, but most people are not me! When a weather window appeared this morning with lighter snow and wind, before a second storm onslaught I went looking for a “Snowy in a Snow Storm”! Now normally looking for a Snowy Owl around 10:30 am would be an exercise in frustration, but I thought last nights ugly weather followed by this brief respite might bring an owl or two out into the open. I was not disappointed.

This Snowy had been actively looking around, and then started to snooze. However, when owl and I heard crows approaching the Snowy quickly woke up and exited Stage Left!

Snowy Owl in a Snow Storm (White on White in White!)

The photographic conditions were hugely sub-optimal. I was very pleased with my results. There is not a ton of contrast available when one is attempting to photograph a white bird in a white storm against a white background. Try it some time. Given this owl is a “very white male”, my task was even more difficult.

Book Ending Lake Superior: Sea Smoke and Snowy Owls

Year 7

Yesterday morning started with ships and sea smoke 40 minutes before sunrise off Lake Superior’s Splitrock Lighthouse. The day ended with the 60 minutes prior to sunset with a royal Snowy Owl Flush… both a beautiful female and male! By the time I got home I was thoroughly frozen. With the temperature hovering around 0F (-18F), even with decent gloves it is impossible to keep the hands warm. While it was much colder during my morning sea smoke photoshoot (-18F or -28C), when photographing owls there is a lot of waiting for action which is when one gets bone cold.

Snowy Owl Take-Off (female or first year male)

Sleepy … or laughing at me Snowy Owl (male)

The male Snowy even slept through a diving attack from the female pictured first in this blog post. It was too cool to be bothered.

Great big mounds of plowed snow gave me the ability to almost see “eye to eye” with the owls. Was fun being up at their level 10 to 12 feet off the ground… but still a bit distant. My Canon Sx70 has a 65x optical zoom, which is a 1365 35mm equivalnet. On bright, sunny days the super zooms work very nicely.