Fox Hunt … the Pounce and Kill

Year 11

Saturday morning I was treated to something I rarely get to watch. While I often see both Red and Gray Foxes (Gray frequents my feeders), it is unusual that I get a nice vantage point for watching a hunt. These canines have a particular way to capturing their prey … launch off their hind legs … leap through the air … and land with their front legs down to capture their prey.

I was quite a ways distant, but if I had been close the fox would have seen me and run into the woods.

Red Fox … Hunt and Pounce

SuperbOwl Sunday

Year 11

It has become traditional for those of us who don’t “live for the Super Bowl”, but love birding to focus upon a certain effort on a particular Sunday in February. In my case it may be withdrawal symptoms from sitting through four Minnesota Vikings Super Bowl defeats during my high school and college days. My friends at college loved to tell me how my much loved Vikings were choke artists. I had problems not agreeing with the sentiment.

Regardless, I decided to focus of SuperbOwl Sunday today. Shortly after sunrise we had a rare commodity here at the Head of the Lakes, sun! I easily found, Les, my love struck Poppa Great Horned Owl. This morning Les was not willing to wake up. Unless you are a photographer that is a good thing … the owl was obviously not stressed by my being in the vicinity.

This afternoon, I returned to the Lester / Amity Forest Trails. For a long time the owl ignored me. In fact, while it looks like Les is looking at me in the second image, he only perked up when  two cyclists rode on the trail ten feet below my spot, and near his white pine. The cyclists never saw me or the owl.  Happy #SuperbOwlSunday.

The Butcher Bird / Northern Shrike

Year 11

With a hint of sun I decided to cruise the Superior, Wisconsin fairgrounds and the Bong Airport in search of the large predator which has not made any appearances this year. While I did not find a Snowy Owl, nor has anyone else except a brief sighting one day by Mr. Steve, this winter for the first time ever there are no Snowy Owls in the Twin Ports, I did find two Northern Shrikes.

This predator bird is perhaps ounce for ounce the most vicious killer out in the bird world. It is also know as the Butcher Bird … for good reason. This robin sized bird, not a hawk by any means, is one of our winter visitors from up north here on the Arctic Riviera. Take a look at this first image and focus upon the pointy fence. Northern Shrikes are known for impaling their kill on barbed wire or any other nasty pointed item. While I did not see this Shrike catch anything, it did not need to go far upon catching something to cache its prey for a later meal.

On the other side of the Superior Airport, I found another shrike hunting. These birds tend to like bushy trees by meadows where they can hide and surprise their prey.