Tag Archives: WI North: Richard Bong Airport

Days 332 to 334: Birds in the Gloom

Year 1,

Including today, here in northern Minnesota we have had 18 straight days of clouds (a tiny bit of sun briefly at dawn on the 3rd day), more often with rain, snow and/or fog. If the sun EVER reappears I will be ready. I have visited this Snowy Owl featured in today’s post multiple times over the past few weeks, and have learned many of its hunting perches. I am Just waiting for decent light to try some flight / hunting photos. My friend, the snowy, did not appear to happy with today’s weather … snow, rain and winds gusting to almost 30 mph.

Yesterday’s conditions (day #331) were even worse from a photographic vantage point. The weather include heavy snow, and dense fog. My photo gives you an idea of how my forest world appears right now.

Day 332: Snowy Owl in the Rain
332-Birds-365-Snowy-Shed

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Day 333: Common Redpoll and Pine Siskins During a Heavy Snow
333-Birds-365-Common-Redpoll 333-Birds-365-Pine-Siskins

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Day 334: Snowy Owl Reprise (and some waterfront Mallards)
334-Birds-365-Snowy

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334-Birds-365-Mallards

Day 315: A Superior Snowy Owl!

Year 1,

I spent some quality time with my “Superior Snowy” just before sundown … thus many of the photos with the “golden light”. The call and flight sequence were caused by some invading crows whose presence was not appreciated by the owl!.

I think I will personally give this snowy the nickname, “Runway”. As that is where he often hangs out (see last photo taken from a distance). The “Superior” in the blog post comes from the fact this owl hangs out in Superior, Wisconsin.

Crow! Crow! Crow! (in this sequence, the snowy owl first hears and then sees some crows coming to attack it. The owl decides it is time to fly!
315-Birds-365-Superior-Snowy-04 315-Birds-365-Superior-Snowy-06 315-Birds-365-Superior-Snowy-07 315-Birds-365-Superior-Snowy-08 315-Birds-365-Superior-Snowy-09

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Hunting for voles and mice!
315-Birds-365-Superior-Snowy-05 315-Birds-365-Superior-Snowy-02 315-Birds-365-Superior-Snowy-03

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What’s the score?!
315-Birds-365-Superior-Snowy-01

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Hanging out next to the Superior, Wisconsin Airport runway
315-Birds-365-Superior-Snowy-10

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Sunrise the same morning over Lake Superior at Stoney Point
315-Birds-365-Stoney-Point-Stormrise

 

Day 314: First Snowy of this Winter!

Year 1,

Just before sunset I drove 13 miles and hung out for over an hour at a location where I had been told a Snowy Owl had appeared the past two nights. Just eight minutes before sunset, and loss of effective light for photography I struck paydirt! Unfortunately I was changing my camera settings when it flew off and thus missed the “flight shot”. My second snowy photo is really beyond the effective range of my camera, but still fun! Actually the day was shoehorned nicely as I photographed a bald eagle a bit after sunrise having a bad hair day. Twas quite windy.

First Snowy Owl of the Winter
314-Birds-365-Snowy-Owl-1 314-Birds-365-Snowy-Owl-2

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Bad Hair Day Bald Eagle
314-Birds-365-Bad-Hair-Day-Bald-Eagle