The weather has been poor up here in the Northland for the past two days, and really horrible over the past 24 hours. For someone like me who lives for being outside, that means Cabin Fever. Thus, this morning at 7 am I informed my wife I was heading to Sax-Zim Bog.

• Did it matter that once I got in the car a bad snow squall hit?
• Did it matter that the forecast was for temperatures around freezing with sleet, drizzle and snow?
• Did it matter that the wind forecast called for strong gusts within an hour?

My answer to all of these questions was a resounding “No!”. Now logic dictates I should have stayed home, but as I approached the Bog, the weather moderated and what had been rain at my house was snow in the Bog. The trees were flocked with snow, and it was a winter wonderland. Here is a 20 second video of the Bog’s backroads this morning. (video link for email subscribers)

I tried to hide from the wind, but Old Man Winter laughed at me. Unfortunately, even though I knew the Great Gray Owls had to be hungry, not one came out to play. Just when I was about to return home, much to my surprise the sun tried to come out.  Better yet, a Rough-Legged Hawk started hunting for voles and did not care about my presence (unusual). This particular bird hovered almost motionless directly over me. Cabin Fever cured!

As a fyi, the Rough-Legged Hawk is one of my favorite raptors. It breeds in the Arctic, and I get to see it twice per year … during the Spring and Fall migrations.

Knowing that the tamarack needles in their golden majesty would soon all be on the forest floor, and thereby heralding the start of winter, I drove up to Sax-Zim Bog for a final version of “Golden Glory Owling”. Thankfully the star performer eventually did arrive. Unlike the other morning when I saw three unique Great Gray Owls, only one wanted its photograph taken this morning. Here were the results.

On a final note, if you live anywhere up north with no light pollution, get yourself outside by 7:30 pm TONIGHT. Find a spot with low light which faces north (public boat launches can be great). The numbers for the Northern Lights are looking great at 4 pm CDT. Unlike the big media blitz of last weekend, my own technical read of the data shows something is very much happening. See my Northern Lights Web Page for more information.

Two afternoons ago I risked a bad rain forecast and drove over to Sax-Zim Bog. The probability for rain was over 75%. However, being the weatherman I am, I looked at radar, evaluated the dry conditions as my home and took the risk. A bit of cabin fever also drove me out of the house.

Well … it sort of stayed dry. The drizzle never got to bad and I enjoyed watching this recent arrival from Hudson Bay Way hunt. Yup, my favorite hawks, Rough-Legged Hawks have migrated back into the Northland from waaaayyy up north. Only this bird and Golden Eagles have feathers down all the way to their talons to keep them warm in Arctic environments.

Rough-Legged Hawk … a Bog Hunting!

From this morning, my other Bog birds.

Gray Jay (now known as a Canada Jay)

Great Gray Owl #3 (see the other two)