Yesterday afternoon I found a Barred Owl in some Duluth prime habitat … tall trees with lots of cavities near wetlands and a small pond. Over the next few weeks I will see if the owl agrees with me and it wants to nest in this area. I hope.

Duluth Barred Owl

And I was super careful to not flush or scare the owl … it was sleeping by the time I left.

Tomorrow morning it is off to Sax-Zim Bog before sunrise. Part of my search will also include hoping to narrow down nesting territories. While Great Horned Owls nest in late January to February, Barred and Great Grays are now thinking of love. My owling plan is to arrive on Admiral Road around 7am … 15 minutes before sunrise … and then bird Admiral, McDavitt and Arkola Roads in that order. My logic is it has been both relatively cold and super windy for the past few days. Tonight’s forecast has continued strong winds plus a good chance of precipitation, but a few hours before dawn the weather is supposed to change … much lighter winds with cloud cover till around 9 am. I am hoping to find hungry GGO’s and a the bonus would be finding females being fed. Temperature will be chilly … 10F with chill factor down around -7F. The Bog is now almost 100% devoid of other birders. Thus, I will have all these areas to myself.