Snowy Owl on a Snowy Day! (video)

Year 5

While we all prefer days where the winter sky is deep blue, and the temperatures are in the mid 20’s, for the prospect of seeing owls a dark day w/o wind is best. A few days back I found multiple Snowy Owls hunting long after sunrise. Light snow was falling without much wind. Perfect for owls to remain out and hunt if it weren’t for those darn crows!

Actually, I think this female Snowy Owl was quite happy to have me arrive on the scene. Some local crows were harassing it, but moved off when I came near. Thus, the owl let me get real close as I provided the fringe benefit of scaring off said crows. You can hear them cawing in the video.

We seem to be experiencing a bit of a small Snowy Owl irruption in the Duluth area this winter. The numbers of white owls I am seeing is truly impressive. However, this does not necessary mean breeding success up in the Arctic last summer. Snowy Owls move hundreds, if not thousands of miles between summers in search of lemmings. Thus, a good breeding area one year may be horrible the next. It is quite possible that the owls nested in larger numbers west of Hudson’s Bay in the Arctic this year. Next sumner they could be over by Greenland in larger numbers. I personally support the Owl Research Institute with both financial and my “Hey There Mr. Owl!” book contributions. This team has been researching owls, including Snowies for 30 years. Learn more!

Here are some images of the female Snowy Owl, and below a male Snowy a bit after sunset. Note how the male’s feathers and overall appearance is much whiter. One final comment, in low light (as in snowy days) when taking photographs use burst mode and forget about flight images. Thankfully owls tend to sit very still most of the time. Thus, I get some good photos along with the blurry ones.

Female Snowy Owl

Male Snowy Owl

Ice Night Shipping

Year 5

Last night my wife was ushering for a local theater, and I decided to wonder how I might spend a quiet evening at home. Given the dearth of anything worthwhile on TV, I decided to check the status of our local shipping.

Eureka! A saltie had just sailed under the Aerial Bridge. If you are ever in Duluth, or anywhere along the North Shore of Lake Superior there is a great web page (works very well on a smartphone) named Harbor Lookout. This site gives you information of what ships are expected, and their planned arrival or departure times.

Now back to my evening’s entertainment. The Federal Rhine, was slowly being assisted by two tugs to the CHS Grain Elevator to take on a load of wheat. I suspected the harbor ice and night lights reflecting off the ice would make for a beautiful scene. You be the judge.

As a fyi … I took these images with my Sony A6000 and a wide angle lens. Clicking or pressing upon the images will yield the best night arrival experience (expanded view).

Docking at the CHS Grain Terminal

Making a large turn next to the Duluth High Bridge

Bog Birding

Year 5

I’ve spent a lot of time in Sax-Zim Bog over the past few days. The weather has been sunny, and the temperatures moderate (OF at sunrise rising to 25F). Given I always wear choppers and thermal underwear, I have been toasty warm on my extensive hikes. While the snow is not very deep in the woods (4 to 8 inches) which means owls are not hunting the roadsides (lesser snow depths at roadsides make for easier hunting), the light snow cover has made it much easier for me to bushwhack through the back country. Better yet, my tracks in the snow mean it is impossible to get lost. Remember, bog country is very flat and the terrain does not give many landmarks.

Here are just a few of the birds I’ve enjoyed, none of which were birded from my car.

White-Winged Crossbills

Northern Shrike

Black-Backed Woodpecker

and of course … the Northern Hawk Owl! (I now know this birds morning routine and favorite perches from 8 to 11 am)

Finally … the “far off Snowy Owl”. I never got closer than 400 yards to this bird, but these photographs are included because I DID NOT hike on private land. I know some recent visitors to the Bog have violated this rule. If you do not have permission from a landowner, even if the property is not posted with “no trespassing signs”, stay off! Farm land like the property show is obviously private.