The temperature this morning on Northstar Lake was 39F. There is a freeze warning for tonight. It was very obvious when the winds switched from the West to the North yesterday afternoon, and the temperatures started to drop. Migration is now in full swing, and we have entered the “no snowy owl period” in North America. Basically this means there are now zero eBird reports of Snowies on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, and these beautiful birds are now working there way south … generally in tandem with huge flocks of snow geese that provide easier food. The owls are south of the Arctic Ocean, but have not reached any small population centers in northern Manitoba or Saskatchewan when birders will file reports or their GPS tracking devices check in with Project Snowstorm. Sometime within the next few weeks the Snowies will check in. The earliest I have seen a Snowy along the North Shore is the end of October. However, some buddies of mine who hunt ducks and geese in North Dakota see them much earlier.

I found this Bald Eagle shortly after sunrise this morning. I think it was angry I had stopped near some roadkill, and was expressing its displeasure at me. I took a few photos and moved on quickly. If you maximize the first image, enjoy the eagle’s tongue!