Tag Archives: MN North: Sax-Zim Bog

Moving into Winter!

Year 7,

It was a tough morning birding today. Not much was happening as I made a swing through some my favorite haunts where owls will set up winter territories.  I made certain to check everything out in the pre-dawn light. After the sun came up I finally found a few Pine Grosbeaks “gritting up” including this male.

Up at Sax-Zim Bog the feeders are now up. In addition the ultimate suet is now at the Welcome Center and at most the boardwalks. We put up deer carcasses (from venison processors). Both the birds and small mammals lover same. While I am not allowed to put up a carcass in the woods near my own home (wife does not like the idea), I am allowed to offer real suet. Thus, I just purchased some meat suet which I will hang within the next few days. The bears should now be hibernating.

Gray Jay / Canada Jay enjoying a snack.

Sunset Owl

Year 7

This Great Gray Owl would not come out and play yesterday evening. It was waiting till dark to hunt. All the same … it was a great way to celebrate my “return to the Bog”. Winter birding starts now! While our Great Grays are year round residents of the Northland, I have been getting reports of other owls starting to show up in our region (specific reports of Northern Hawk and Snowy Owls). Hopefully this bodes will for a nice movement down from Canada this year (they are allowed across the border!). I hope to also see some non local Great Grays along the North Shore.

My goals for the Pandemic Winter are to receive medical clearance to get back on cross-country skis (no races this winter), and find the hunting spots of various species of owls. Given our new lockdown here in Minnesota, outdoor activities will keep us all sane.

GPS Solar Array Bird Tracking

Year 7

The winter owling season approaches, and with that time of year many of us look forward to learning more about various owl species. Over the past several years Project Snowstorm has used small GPS Solar Array powered tracking bands to measure exactly where Snowy Owls go from their time in the northern United States to the Arctic for summer breeding. When a Snowy finally flies near a cell tower, even if months have passed, the owl phones home and its data is downloaded. Newer devices often communicate daily via satellite upload.

This winter we hope to put some of these high tech banding devices on Northern Hawk Owls (the owl on my banner). Are hawk owls breeding in Minnesota far from any roads deep in Bogs, or are our friends heading somewhere up in Canada (our best guess). The next question would be where are our winter owls breeding?

Here are some screenshots from eBird which track Snowy Owl reportings (not data downloads from Project Snowstorm). The screenshots demostrate how Snowies disappear from view during their migration … in the vast Canadian wilderness, but eventually reappear at which point their data tracks are downloaded.

October 2020 (Oct. 1 to 16 … essentially no owls)

October 2019 (entire month)

November 2019 (entire month)