I was complaining (whining?) with my last post that I had gone the entire month of October without seeing an owl, but this morning that streak of poor luck changed. I arrived in Sax-Zim Bog long before sunrise, and as the pre dawn sky started to go orange, pine and rose I found a Great Gray Owl hunting for its breakfast (or for an owl that stays up all night is it dinner?).

It was a gorgeous morning.

Better yet, the owl then flew across the road and hunted with the first few moments of sun on its face. In total I only spent ten minutes with the hunting owl, but the time was precious.

Over the years November has often been one of my favorite months for finding Great Gray Owls. Juvenile owls  must increasingly hunt for themselves which means these youngsters are easier to find. The young Great Grays are poor hunters and this fact forces them to spend significantly more time hunting “per catch” than their parents.