Tag Archives: MN North: Amity

Owl Notes … the Irruption and Locals

Year 12,

The Owl Irruption is changing. While there are still Great Gray Owls in the Duluth / Two Harbors region, the numbers are down dramatically. The days of seeing an owl on almost every sign post and pole seems to be over. I suspect this change was caused by just too much hunting pressure, and the Great Gray Owls needed to move on because the local meadows and wetlands were hunted out.

In addition, an owl adventure that began on exciting high note on Sunday morning has ended poorly. I received a phone call at 9:15 am describing an owl which I believed needed help. I found the Great Gray, hand captured and delivered the bird to Wildwoods Rehabilitation Center in Duluth. It was interesting once more to have an owl, which was secure in a box, riding next to me in my Subaru. Unfortunately the owl did not survive past Monday. While the bird was not injured, it was starving and could not be saved. As a fyi, I do not photograph birds that I am involved with rescuing. Taking time out for photography would be wrong when the animal needs my help.

Nature must have known I needed a pick me up after the downer of the owl’s death. While quite cold yesterday, during a hike I discovered my local Great Horned Owl’s nest. Les and Amy are back for a seventh year nesting near my home. Here is a photo of Les keeping watch over his lady love. For the time being I will not be posting images of the nest to protect Amy. As a reminder, this is the time of year to take walks after sunset in the dark … listen to your local owl’s hooting … triangulate the sound … find the nest. The Poppa Owls will always perch very near (as in only yards away in a different tree). By triangulating the the hooting you can really zero in on the nest area. I then return after sunrise when I am better able to see.

And Amy … image taken two evenings before she nested.

The local Snowy Owls which winter here on the Arctic Riviera must have also decided to help cheer me up. An hour before sunset yesterday I found not one but two Snowys.

Snowy #1

Snowy #2

Owl Song Day. It was a Hooting Good Time!

Year 12

Any day when you get to hear not one, but different species of owls sing out and hoot, life is good! This post is about Amy, my local Great Horned Owl. She and her mate have nested near my home across from Amity Creek (thus the name Amy) for six years, and they are back for a seventh season!

The photograph and video accompanying this post was taken 25 minutes post sunset which makes photography difficult, but the experience was super positive. Earlier in the day I may have had a “once in a lifetime” experience. While birding in the Willowsippi Wildlife Management Area I found a Northern Hawk Owl, and happened to be taking videos when that bird decided to call out! See that post, and hear that owl.

Amity Creek Great Horned Owl

Amy Hooting (video link for email subscribers)

Southbound Birding

Year 12

Stay tuned to learn if “boy birder” can find his feathered friends on his way south from near the Canadian border in northern Minnesota to the southern reaches of our beautiful country, Florida. He will escape the owl invasion of 2025, and hopefully discover new plumage power. This trip across our country from north to south will take 4 days, with a first stop in Green Bay Packer Country as he attempts to learn how three of his grandchildren ever came to be Cheeseheads.

Fact Check:

  • Bird Boy is almost 69 years old, but he still often acts like a little kid
  • The Owl Irruption will continue till at least March 1st. As crazy as this may seem, watching a Great Gray Owl is almost becoming boring. The key word here is “almost”.
  • This epic journey will be repeated later this month, Northbound Birding.
  • The journey begins now in the pre-dawn darkness of northern Minnesota. Les and Amy are hooting their love as I put the final items in our car.