Tag Archives: WI North: NW Wisconsin

War Bird Take-Off of the Dawn Patrol! (Snowy Owl)

It has been a good couple of days with my neighborhood snowys. The clouds were rolling in as dawn approached this morning, and a Snowy Owl was supervising this WW II PBY Catalina Flying Boat’s preparation for its “dawn patrol!” The best part of the experience for me was when while standing 50 yards away from the owl in the pre-dawn light, the Snowy Owl suddenly cried out a long piercing scream. My conjecture was it telling another nearby Snowy Owl that this territory was hers … or perhaps she is truly a “war bird” and this was just her battle cry! Regardless, it was my winter birding highlight.


Perhaps you would like to see this same owl, but with a milder photograph theme?! Okay … same perch as the almost full moon rises behind the Snowy Owl two nights ago. Night patrol?!


Now we must leave War Bird Snowy Owl and spend some time with the bird which hunts close by … and let me watch the later afternoon hunt including Take-Offs, Flights, and Landings.

2nd Snowy Owl … Perched, Take-Off & Flight and Landing.

Perched


Take-Off & Flight


Landing

First Birding Sunrise of 2026 (2025 ReCap)

Before sunrise this morning I visited some Snowy Owls near my home. While it was below zero and gloomy at my house, surprisingly the sun tried to break through the clouds at sunrise behind a Snowy Owl. Thus … the first birding sunrise of 2026 on New Year’s Day. How poetic!

Snowy Owl Silhouetted at Dawn


I think this owl must be a “war bird”. It loves to hunt from this plane being reconstructed!


And the best birding by month of 2025

Snowy Owls at the Rodeo and WWII Airplane Museum!

Okay … this post will make it obvious that there are Snowy Owls in Superior. I had a great time two days before Christmas, and one Snowy Owl in particular was taking in the tourist sights!

In addition, observe the Snowy stretching its neck while perched on the airport lights. A reader asked in the comments of a prior post about “neck stretching”. This is a common behavior of owls and is normally indicative of prey in sight, or that the owl is about to move hunting perches.

First the Snowy Owl went to the Rodeo (perched on lights)


Then the Owl checked out the World War II Airbird!


It’s finally hunting perch was much more mundane … airport lights