Any day when you get to hear not one, but different species of owls sing out and hoot, life is good! This post is about Amy, my local Great Horned Owl. She and her mate have nested near my home across from Amity Creek (thus the name Amy) for six years, and they are back for a seventh season!

The photograph and video accompanying this post was taken 25 minutes post sunset which makes photography difficult, but the experience was super positive. Earlier in the day I may have had a “once in a lifetime” experience. While birding in the Willowsippi Wildlife Management Area I found a Northern Hawk Owl, and happened to be taking videos when that bird decided to call out! See that post, and hear that owl.

Amity Creek Great Horned Owl

Amy Hooting (video link for email subscribers)

Stay tuned to learn if “boy birder” can find his feathered friends on his way south from near the Canadian border in northern Minnesota to the southern reaches of our beautiful country, Florida. He will escape the owl invasion of 2025, and hopefully discover new plumage power. This trip across our country from north to south will take 4 days, with a first stop in Green Bay Packer Country as he attempts to learn how three of his grandchildren ever came to be Cheeseheads.

Fact Check:

• Bird Boy is almost 69 years old, but he still often acts like a little kid
• The Owl Irruption will continue till at least March 1st. As crazy as this may seem, watching a Great Gray Owl is almost becoming boring. The key word here is “almost”.
• This epic journey will be repeated later this month, Northbound Birding.
• The journey begins now in the pre-dawn darkness of northern Minnesota. Les and Amy are hooting their love as I put the final items in our car.

My wife, Molly (the non birder), noticed our visitor first. I have been telling friends I would consider this Winter an owl irruption in Northeastern Minnesota when and if we had a yard bird Great Gray Owl. This evening that historic event occurred! The photographs and video were taken after sunset.

I am actually falling way behind on potential posts. This afternoon in a little over one hour I saw five owls … including two species including a Boreal Owl. Regardless … Rich’s Yard Bird Great Gray Owl (video link for blog email subscribers)

And some still images of our visitor. In the final image, the owl did not move far but was no longer to obtain a contrast against the evening sky …