As planned I drove north to Sax-Zim Bog this morning. My plan was to leave home an hour before sunrise which would allow me to arrive in the Bog area right around sunup. Hopefully I would catch a Great Grey Owl still hunting for an hour after dawn. I knew that it had been impossible hunting conditions for the last 48 hours. In fact, the local paper stated the waves out on Lake Superior reached 35 feet, and all the freighters hid in harbors to avoid the weather.
On the drive up to Sax-Zim I was the only car on the road. The highway conditions were solid ice, but I just slowed down and took it easy. Without any other traffic on the roads, and by going slowly it was actually an easy drive. Upon reaching the Bog, the winds were howling with gusts up to 25 mph. Over the course of a few hours I saw 14 Bald Eagles, 2 Rough-Legged Hawks and finally 2 Sharp-Tailed Grouse, but no owls. I think the combination of the high winds and all the eagles (their enemies), I struck out on finding any owls. However, with the blue skies and fresh snow, it was a fun time. Here are a few images I took of one Bald Eagle taken just minutes after sunrise. It was having a hard time hanging on to its perch in the high winds. I have also included a photo of the entrance to the Welcome Center. We should be open in about two weeks.
