Category Archives: Year 12

Long Eared Owls and Christmas Bird Counts

Year 12

We celebrated a late Christmas with my daughter and her family two evenings ago, but we had to be back to Duluth by last night such that I could participate in this year’s Isabella Christmas Bird Count. This is the 125th year of the count, which makes it the longest running citizen science research project in the world. As I type this blog post at 6:30 a.m. I am noting the temperature inland is -12F (not including chill factor). Needless to say I am wearing many layers of clothes and will have goggles should I find myself hiking in open spaces. If you want to learn more about the Christmas Bird Count, Science Friday has an excellent piece on their show yesterday (link to Science Friday podcast)

Just like I had a Christmas treat of Barn Owls while visiting one of my sons this Christmas while out in Seattle. While down in the Twin Cities a friend told me where to hike and see some Long Eared Owls. It was a brisk 1.5 mile walk, but very worthwhile.

Minneapolis Long-Eared Owls

Owl #1

Owl #2

Time to leave for Isabella …

Northern Hawk Owl in a Boreal Forest Bog

Year 12

See part one of this series for the video! I promised there would be a second post about my over two hours watching a Northern Hawk Owl hunt yesterday, New Year’s Day. Remember, if it is not obvious, the Northern Hawk Owl is my blog’s featured bird. The banner for this website for over ten years has always been this tiny owl.

This collection of hawk owl photographs may be more than you folks, my loyal readers want, but I want to post the images! Learn more about the Northern Hawk Owl courtesy of the Cornell School of Ornithology, but back to my story. In total yesterday I took well over 350 photographs of this bird, and a bunch of videos.

Northern Hawk Owl in the Minnesota Boreal Forest (not Sax-Zim Bog)

To lead off here are three images … taken almost at the same time, but different zoom treatments. Notice how the feel of the photograph changes. I tend to better like images that include habitat, rather than extreme close-ups.

And now rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say … Wikipedia link.

New Year’s Day Northern Hawk Owl

Year 12

2025 started out extra special. After listening to Les and Amy hoot during the pre-dawn dark hours of the morning I left with a friend to go birding. As you may know, the Northern Hawk Owl is my blog’s signature bird. Oh my, did the New Year have a treat in store for me. Not only did the owl put on a hunting show for us, the forecast clouds disappeared for a brief time and blue skies / sun made an appearance.

I will lead with this video. While watching the video it should be obvious that not only was I amazingly close to the owl, but it could care less about me. I ever approached the Northern Hawk Owl, but it decided that the dead white bird near where I was standing was a great hunting platform. It flew own and landed next to me! 2025 will be a fantastic birding year if this owl is any indication! (video link for blog email subscribers)

Here are two photographs I took this morning while the Northern Hawk Owl was hunting. I spent over two hours watching the owl, and it was still hunting when I left because the 12F temperature and brisk wind was chilling me … at least for me if not the owl.

This will be a two part blog post. I have only edited a couple of all the images I took this morning. Happy New Year!