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.

There are special evenings in life. One of which was last night as I watched the full moon rise behind a Snowy Owl at the beginning of its evening hunt. The images are just one camera exposure each, not a combination of multiple images. Trying to get the moon and the owl both in focus was an extreme challenge. The slow shutter speeds I needed to utilize to capture enough light forced blurring difficulties as the moon is actually moving quite fast. The color of the moon changes as it rises in the sky because there is less atmospheric dust to shine through (As the moon rose I was changing my position relative to the owl to keep the moon and the owl in the same frame). Finally I have included the final image BECAUSE it is dark and demonstrates I do NOT use flash for night photography of owls.

My favorite photograph from last night is the third image. For over a year I have been trying to capture a Snowy Owl against the full moon rising. There is only about 20 minutes of effective photography time, and that assumes I have first found a Snowy Owl right before dark (and it stays in place) and then have totally clear skies and a full moon.

Courtesy of a pilot who frequently flies and in and out of the Superior Richard Bong Airport, I learned more about Snowy Owls … including this “dorky looking” bird that I watched last night at the same location. I always thought Snowy Owls were occasionally spooked by planes, but was I ever wrong!

This pilot told me that it is common knowledge at the Superior Airport amongst the pilots that as we move through February into early March as the snow depths lessen, he and his buddies often see Snowy Owls flying parallel to their planes next to the runways. Why? The owls know that the planes often scare up small mammals upon take-off and landings, and it is easy food. These owls are smart!

Non Dorky Snowy Owl in Superior Yesterday Evening at Sunset