Look who greeted me yesterday evening shortly before sunset! Do you think FuzzBall missed me given I had been up at Lake Vermilion for eight days? (quite frankly it might be Junior … I can’t tell anymore).

Actually earlier in the afternoon I found Mom Great Horned Owl on one of her favorite perches. Although I paid close attention to where she was looking, I could not yet find the youngsters. Obviously later in the day on another hike I did find the owlets.

Finally, this morning I was hiking by 6:40. Although it took almost 90 minutes I eventually found the owl family, but none of the birds wanted to pose for pictures. Thankfully, the owlets now screech out loud as long assuming the sun has barely risen. Their begging told me where to search, but even given that fact it is amazing how they can hide in tall white pines.

I lied! I said no more posts before heading to Lake Vermilion, but it is now four months that I have watched FuzzBall and family. I first found the nest location during a blizzard back in early March. Although I had taken a huge number of hikes in the dark listening to the evening hoot, it was when during a snowstorm I went outside on my deck and realized I could hear the Great Horned Owl parents hooting back and forth during the blizzard. The owls had to be nesting very near my house or I would not have been able to hear them over the howling wind. I took these images the next morning when the storm lessened up considerably.

Last night  I had intended to just rest on the couch and then watch with Molly an episode of Alone. After all, I had been up before dawn … birded the Wisconsin Grasslands … took a 12 mile bike ride and am still even recovering from Lyme disease, but noooooo! While stretched out on the couch I kept hearing a few crows giving grief to my owl friends (remember, I speak crow). I decided the nice evening light demanded that I take an evening hike and attempt to find FuzzBall.

After a one mile walk, I did in fact find one of the two owlets (plus two other trees with new whitewash). Here are last night’s efforts.

The star of the show … the sun would set within five minutes.

Short video of the owlet (video link for email subscribers)

I normally would never see Momma Great Horned Owl out hunting around 4 pm … long before sunset, but when you have two hungry juvenile owlets to feed sometimes one just does NOT get to sleep as long as desired (yesterday in the Lester / Amity Forest on the northern edge of Duluth). Sound familiar parents?! As an additional fyi, the chickadees would not leave her along.