Tag Archives: MN North: Lakewood

Northern Snowbird vs. Southern Beach Bum Owls!

Year 12,

Molly and I just completed 3 days of driving across America … south to north. During my last day in the Fort Myers area I revisited the Pelican Ballfields in Cape Coral. Although for this northern boy the winter temperatures seemed warm early in the morning (45F and sun), I suspected the local Burrowing Owls might think that a calm, sunny morning after two days of rain and mid 40’s were worth catching the sun’s rays like their northern cousins. Upon arriving home, I visiting with the northern cousins of the Beach Bums!

I was correct in that assumption, the “beach bum” owls were out getting warm near their burrow’s entrances.

“Beach Bum” Burrowing Owls of Cape Coral!

Northern Owls love to sit in the sun on sunny calm windless mornings. Look for the owls on the northern side of forest roads catching the rays from the sun in the southern sky. Anyhow, upon arriving home yesterday afternoon a bit before 3 pm, after taking 1/2 hour to unpack and stow away warm weather gear from the car, I was off to enjoy our local owl irruption. I did not need to travel far, and found two Great Grays hunting.

Great Gray Owls … the northern beach bum’s cousins!

Owl #1

Owl #2

I was actually home from my birding excursion within two hours of when I first got home from Florida. It was time for a leisurely glass of wine!

Boreal Owl (almost a Yard Bird!)

Year 12

That “owl guy” is not giving me credit. He posted first this evening about that other owl which hunted in his yard … a Yard Bird Great Gray Owl. I mean … really … I was hunting within 1.5 miles of the Hoeg’s home. Shouldn’t that trump an ordinary Great Gray Owl.

Boreal Owl … almost a Yard Bird (hunting near Rich’s house)

The Movie! (video link for email blog subscribers)

Still Images!

Northern Flicker Chicks Fed at the Woodpecker Nest Hole

Year 11

How long does it take to capture nice photographs? In the instance of the Northern Flicker Chicks at the Woodpecker Hole, a long time!

  • I found the Flicker nest 7 weeks ago (35 days) … just as the pair were claiming their home
  • Once the chicks hatch, they spend about 12 days in the hole before fledging (data from the Cornell School of Ornithology)
  • Multiple visits to the nest hole in the final days waiting for the chicks to appear for a feed
  • 70 minutes last Friday evening on site waiting for a feed to happen! I was actually not planning on heading over to the nest location after supper that night, but when the sun unexpectedly came out, I knew I had no choice if I wished to experience this event. Juvenile Downey and Hairy Woodpeckers were already visiting my suet feeders, and their parents would teach them about bird feeders. Time was of the essence.

Thus, my process involved finding the nest hole … researching the the nesting data for Northern Flickers … making repeat visits the final few days when the chicks would be sticking their heads out of the hole and demanding to be fed. Believe it or not, I actually saw the older chick fledge on Friday evening.

Northern Flicker Chicks at the Woodpecker Nest Hole

Where’s Mom or Dad? We want food!

Video taken during the feed (video link for email subscribers)

The older chick often pushed its smaller sibling back into the hole. If one controls the opening you get more food!

Mom flew to the top of the dead tree when she wanted a break. The youngsters could not see her up there!