Some days the birds just don’t understand. While this Northern Hawk Owl made itself available for photographs, in over an hour of watching the bird out in the country side never once did it move to the nearby spruce trees which were glistening with hoar frost on a cold sunny morning (-22F at one point). Oh well, even though I have often seen this particular bird on said spruces, it was a powerline photo for me.

Northern Hawk Owl

A few comments if you are visiting Sax-Zim Bog this winter:

1. Only park on one side of the road. These dirt roads are not very wide and the locals don’t appreciate three or four cars on both sides of the roads. It’s hard to drive amongst the birders.
2. Great Gray Owls are present on more than just Admiral Road. You do not need to be part of the crowd on that remote road. Explore the miles of other roads in the Bog.
3. Be careful when you pull over to park. Snow plow drivers plow the roads wider than the actual road itself. Many visitors have suddenly found their cars stuck in deep snow as the outside wheels tip down into the roadside ditch. Tows are costly given the remoteness of the area.
4. I have found dusk to be much better for seeing Great Gray Owls this winter. The mouse / vole population is quite high, and thus there is little reason for the owls to hunt past sunrise. Remember, sunset is the owl’s breakfast time. All bets are off during stormy, windy weather.
5. Have fun and dress warmly. Temperatures in the Bog are routinely 15 degrees colder than in the Duluth area. Last winter Cotton, Minnesota (entrance to the Bog) had a temperature reading of -55F (actual temperature, not windchill)