There are magical evenings, and then there ARE magical evenings. I ended 2020 with an experience even I found hard to believe. With about 30 minutes of light left before sundown my friend Ed found a Great Gray Owl in the Boreal Forest within a few miles where I was owling. He was kind enough to send me a text, and thankfully we both had cell service. The owl did not mind our presence … was out in the golden evening sun … and moved perches whenever it was within minutes of being encompassed by shade. I actually walked away from this owl while it was still out hunting in the sun. I did not want to get home late for dinner, and had a 45 minute drive ahead of me. Given sunset is at 4:30 pm this far north, darkness comes early!

I hope you enjoy all these photographs, and I will admit there are more images than a normal post, but I was excited … still am. Once again, the golden color in the photos is because I took most of the images within minutes of sundown.

The two “take-off” sequences bring forth two important points:

1. Based upon time in the woods, I understand birds. The owls told me when they were about to take off. It was not dumb luck.
2. Even with knowing a bird is about to take-off, it is supremely important to use “burst mode”. Each group of photos is about one second in total duration. Thus, a lot happens in a very short period of time.

Great Gray Owl Flight Sequence

Take Off of a Great Gray Owl

Great Gray Owl just “Hanging Out”!

In the last nine days we’ve had three snowstorms, including one blizzard. Two nights ago seven inches of the new white stuff fell out of the sky. The end result is that the snow in the forest is now deep, which makes hunting much more difficult for Great Gray Owls. Given this kind of owl hunts by hearing its prey running beneath the snow, it is always easier to hunt when there is no snow. In addition the three storms have meant lots of wind, making the listening process of hearing mice and voles much more difficult. Over the past nice days a lot of meals have been missed. Owls are hungry.

Yesterday afternoon, in the middle of the afternoon I found a Great Gray Owl hunting around 2 pm. I suspect this bird is a juvenile and not an accomplished hunter. The wind was strong and the snow was deep which meant non ideal hunting conditions; however hunger is a great motivator.

It was a beautiful experience for me, but for the owl it was a matter of survival.

This first photograph is “backed off” to show the owl in its environment. As photographers (me included) we often want to zoom in as closer to a subject as possible, which is quite often a mistake.

Now I wanted to feature the owl and the snow flocked trees.

Video 1: Great Gray Owl during a snow squall (link for email subscribers)

Video 2: Windblown Great Gray Owl (the bird gave up hunting shortly after this point) (link for email subscribers)

Long before sunrise this morning, Bunny jumped on top of Grampa’s camera bag and yelled: “Take me! Take me owling, Grampa!” How could I resist? After all it is rare that someone wants to get up long before the sun, drive long distances just to walk back roads in search of owls, but Bunny insisted! How could I refuse? (Many Bunny and Owl photos follow … we had a very fun and successful time)

Bunny jumping on top of my camera bag, and taking control of the car.

The Great Gray Owl, Bunny and Grampa watched for 25 minutes.

Let me backtrack. Isabel, one of my six grandchildren was visiting Grammy and Grampa (along with her three siblings and parents) for Christmas. Bunny came also because Bunny NEVER leaves Isabel’s side. Both Bunny and Isabel are five years old. While leaving our house in Duluth yesterday to drive home to the big city, somehow Bunny fell out of Isabel’s arms and dove into the deep snow. Thankfully Grammy discovered Bunny in the snow, but long after Isabel and her family left Duluth.

Molly and I had a potential disaster on our hands. Bunny could not be sent “package express” to the Big City from Duluth till Monday. It was Saturday evening. However, one is not awarded the title of Grammy and Grampa without being smart when it comes to solving life’s problems. We would turn Bunny’s time with us in Duluth into an adventure. Isabel would be kept constantly informed … often with pictures … on how Bunny is doing. Is Bunny lonely? Is Bunny scared? Thankfully this morning in response to one of our many texts with Bunny photos, Isabel exclaimed: “Bunny is having fun with Grammy and Grampa” Disaster averted!

Bunny’s visit to Grammy and Grampa

• Owl photos and video follow
• Please note I am feeding bunny a carrot … what else??!
• Bunny with computer … attending church online due to the Pandemic

Bunny and Grampa’s Great Gray Owl photographs

Great Gray Owl video (link for email subscribers)