Tag Archives: MN North: Amity

Squish, Squish, Slap Owling!

Year 9,

The Deeps Waterfall on Amity Creek, which is 200 yards from the end of my driveway, was finally slowing to Summer waterflows yesterday. However, overnight and this morning it stormed and stormed. As the ground is saturated with water across northern Minnesota, the roaring tempest is back.

I decided when the rains ended around noon, it was time to brave the forest … first the trails and then bushwhacking. Over the past nine days the hordes of mosquitoes drove me out of the thick forest. However, it had now been nine days since I last saw my owl family.

Squish, squish, slap … pause and look skyward … repeat. I was drenched by the time I returned home, and well bug bitten by the mosquitoes. The amount of standing water in the woods is amazing. Assuming you finds a deer trail to make one’s route through the woods an easier hike, every trail is now a stream with lots of puddles whenever the land flattens out a bit (remember … the Duluth topography means hills down to Lake Superior almost everywhere)

I did find the owl family as they were fending off a crow attack. I assume the owlets decided to perch in exposed locations in an attempt to dry off, which would make them easily found by the local crows. One benefit of watching the same two parent owls raise youngsters over the past four years is I know their favorite haunts.

From this morning …

Poppa Great Horned Owl (shorter and stockier than Mom)

One of the Owlets

I also found color. The flowering crabs at towards the end of Park Point are beautiful.

Pileated Woodpecker Drumming (video)

Year 9

Thanks to having three “drumming trees” in my yard, over the years I have learned to identify my local woodpeckers by their “drumming sound” … . Pileated Woodpecker yesterday evening letting my wife and I know who really owns our yard!

Unless a dead tree threatens your house, leave it be! You will be rewarded. (video link for email subscribers … Pileated Woodpecker drumming)

Another Foggy Day in Owl Town

Year 9

When the fog sort burned off I went hiking this morning at 6:30 am. Overnight there had been huge thunderstorms, heavy rain, and strong winds … and of course … fog. The forest is drenched, and one gets quite wet walking beneath the canopy, and the trails are a combination of streams and ponds. I found the owl family, and I somehow imagined the Great Horned Owl family conversation going like this …

Owlet: “Yeeech … Mom, … living near Lake Superior is horrible! Tomorrow is June 1st. It’s only 48 degrees, and I’m all wet”

Mom: “Junior! Stop complaining and eat your morning crow!”

Owlet: “I’m outta here!

15 minutes later Mom had a crow trapped low in the forest below her. The crows have the advantage out in the open but within the deep pines, the crows have to be very careful as the advantage switches to the owls.