What did the Fox say? Owl Trifecta!

Year 6

My friend Peter Ismert arrived from Colorado, and yesterday morning we were up in Sax-Zim Bog before the sun rose. Actually the morning was rather dark due to clouds and some snow which had just moved out of the area. Given calms winds it was a perfect morning for owling. Later in the day, the sun made an appearance. It is definitely a perfect day in the woods when the temperature soars to 27F, and the sun beats down on your back with no wind.

However, we did have to face the question of … What did the Fox say? Apparently the answer is “we don’t want know stinking Snowies in our field!” Peter and I watched a Red Fox calmly walk across a farm field and send the Snowy Owl which had been sitting on a hay bale flying. The fox also might have said … “owl trifecta!”. In total we saw two Great Gray Owls, two Snowy Owls and one Northern Hawk Owl. When we returned home to have dinner with my wife Molly, my two yard birds (Great Horned Owls) were hooting their love for one another in the gathering darkness. It was a good day.

Red Fox

Snowy Owl about to be flushed by said Red Fox

Great Gray Owl

Northern Hawk Owl

Snowy Owl #2

Although I watched Great Gray Owl #2 for 20 minutes, I chose not to take any pictures of that bird. I just wanted to enjoy the experience of watching it hunt (successfully).

The Power of the Internet … The HU!

Background, Year 6

This post is way off topic, but let’s me expand upon the power of the web. Most of my career at Honeywell was spent leading various web initiatives. In fact, I built some of my company’s first external web sites in the early 1990’s. It is nothing short of amazing how the internet has changed our lives. I was actually using the web well before graphical browsers came on the scene. One needed to know UNIX. Regardless, on to today’s post …

I love folk music, and play the accordion. A favorite evening past time of mine is to explore YouTube watching / listening to folk music from around the world. Last night, this amazing Mongolian Band, The HU, was presented to me by YouTube as something I might enjoy. Oh my … too cool and fantastic. All four musicians play traditional folk instruments at the Mongolian Conservatory where one band member is a professor. National Public Radio recently featured the group in a long article.

The band combines the old and the new. This YouTube video features the band playing their music which incorporates a “heavy metal” sound, but also has them singing in a guttural way known as Mongolian throat singing. All their instruments are traditional. This is a unique and stunning sound.

As a fyi … I do not normally like heavy metal music, but this is something completely different. It is amazing what comes our way via the internet, including this blog. However, if you really want me to find a “bird connection” for this post, browse to YouTube and watch / listen to their video, The Wolf Totem. You will hear an eagle or hawk screaming.

Video of the band playing music below this image …

The HU! (skip to the 60 second mark to reach the music)

90 Minutes With a Great Gray Owl

Year 6

After three days of snow, ice, rain and finally extremely high winds, when I saw that the weather forecast contained calm winds (under 3 mph) and thin clouds I knew this morning was a great one to be Bog bound. The last few days had been horrible if you are a bird which hunts by hearing voles running beneath the snow. Owls had to be very, very hungry.

By sunup (behind the clouds) I arrived at Sax-Zim Bog. Within moments I found my first Great Gray Owl, and then for the next 90 minutes I watched owls hunt till it was finally time for their mid day siesta. I then left the owling grounds and drove over to the Warren Nelson Bog where I took a short hike and saw Boreal Chickadees, a Northern Shrike, and two Black-Backed Woodpeckers. By 10:30 I was on my way home … wow … what a great morning of birding.

Oh yes … did I mention the skies cleared very briefly and I even managed to take a few photographs with a blue sky background. Life is good.

Great Gray Owls at Sax-Zim Bog

Black- Backed Woodpeckers at the Warren Nelson Bog

Northern Shrike at the Warren Nelson Bog