Tag Archives: MN North: Amity

Great Horned Owl Family Update

Year 11
Eighty days into this year’s life of the owlets, and six years into watching Les and Amy (the parent Great Horned Owls) raise families, the owls have taught me a few rules:
  1. By myself I am often allowed within 20 yards
  2. If I bring another human with me, I must stay much further away
  3. If I step on a branch and it cracks, the owls fly away
  4. Certain times of the day are reserved for sleep, while there are other times during the day that the owlets practice hunting (sorry robins).
  5. Thou shall NOT wake an owl up from a nap!

Please note that the owlets are now often found in deciduous trees. Thus, there is no reason until the leaves fall this autumn to only perch / hunt in pine groves. Cover is everywhere now in the forest.

Day 77 (Monday … June 17th)(Owlet and Mom)

Day 79 (Wednesday … June 19th )(both owlets … different perches)

Day 80 (Yesterday … June 20th)(owlet hunting robins in the afternoon)

Rosie the Raccoon NEEDS a Break!

Year 11

Moms … ever need a break from the kids (also you Dads)? Two afternoons ago, before the torrential rains started and as the temperatures mounted … Rosie came out in the afternoon. Now I could claim she was just curious and wanted to watch me BBQ at 6 pm, but I think the combination of at least 4 crazy youngsters, heat and humidity meant she just HAD to get out of her house. The raccoon’s den is in the hollow trunk of a white pine 20 yards from our house.

When I finished cooking, both Rosie and I returned to our homes!

Birding Updates

Year 11, , ,

Some quick birding updates …

  1. The large pine blocking USFS Road #813 (Greenwood Creek Bird Feeders) has been cleared … a combination of my efforts and the forest service
  2. The trailcam at the Greenwood Creek Bog photographed some timber wolves. I have again slightly shifted the camera’s location as I better learn the preferred game trails.
  3. The Lester / Amity Owl family is doing fine. A few mornings ago I found all four owls, even Poppa (he tends to be harder to find). Some recent pics of the owl family included below.
  4. I took photos of the Lakewood Elementary School Wetlands. They are posted below, and will also be added to the post describing that birding location. See my Northeastern Minnesota Birding Locations web page.
  5. The Grassland Birds are busy trying to find mates. This is a good birding excursion, and the wildflowers are beginning to bloom (see images bellow of Bobolink and Killdeers recently seen at Sax-Zim)
  6. Believe it or not, the Red-Headed Woodpecker is still hanging out at the Park Point Recreation Area. Red focuses upon the flowering fruit trees just off the parking lot (next to road).

All images taken within the past seven days on various birding excursions …

Lakewood Elementary School Wetlands

Standing in the middle of the bridge … pics show both directions

Grassland Birds of Sax-Zim (Bobolinks and Killdeer)

Note: I obviously stumbled upon / got near a nest (broken wing display)

Red!

The Lester / Amity Owls (Momma and Owlets)

Day 65: (Momma winks, Owlet learning to hunt

Day 67: Poppa pulls the crows away

Day 69: Owlet being harassed by Robins

Day 70: Various events!

Day 71: Momma taking a break in the afternoon