Tag Archives: MN North: Sax-Zim Bog

Sax-Zim Bog Training Great Gray Owl

Year 6

The owl was not in training, but I was attending same at the Welcome Center. Staff and Volunteers spent the day getting ready for our winter opening which is under a month away on December 7th. Some feeders are now filled and as we become increasingly certain Ma and Pa Bear are asleep, we will fill even more feeders.

After training I went birding and found this Great Gray Owl hunting a bit before sunset. Upon catching a vole it flew back deep back into the Bog leading me to believe it is still helping to feed some juveniles … thus the second successful family of GGO’s I am now watching!

For those of you who wish to watch an owl hunt, conditions were ideal an hour before sunset … dead calm and very cloudy (dark). At times this owl was only 20 yards from me (it’s choice … I did not exist!).

Nine Below Birding! (-23C)

Year 6,

When the temperature dives to -9F on November 12th (-23C), the obvious solution is to go look for birds down from the Arctic. Knowing that an incredible number of Rough-Legged Hawks fit this bill, I drove over to Sax-Zim Bog. Although these hawks spook very easily, I found two individuals which let me watch them hunt. Rough-Legged Hawks (Cornell link) are one of only two raptors (non Owls) which have feathers all the way down their legs to their talons. This adaptation to the cold helps them deal with severely cold temperatures, like this morning. (The other are Golden Eagles)

It was a challenge getting these photographs. In weather this cold, I like to get out of my car to escape the heat waves billowing forth and making getting a good focus difficult, but there is no way this kind of bird would allow me to exit the vehicle without spooking.

Rough-Legged Hawk hunting at Sax-Zim Bog. In the final image one of the hawks is flying away from me having successfully captured and killed a vole.

Hawk #1

Hawk #2

Finally, two photos of a Red-Bellied Woodpecker which visiting my yard late yesterday afternoon. It was puffed up against the cold. You can see a bit on snow in the air in the first image.

Sax-Zim Bog Great Gray Owl (video)

Year 6

When is a vole not a vole? When it is a small rock!

This morning I had the pleasure of watching a juvenile Great Gray Owl hunt. I was dumbfounded when the owl repeatedly dove to capture a certain rock. However, this bird is still learning to hunt, and I also noticed its landings are not picture perfect. Quite frankly I am not used to watching a Great Gray Owl land on a road.

The final bit of amusement was when the owl disappeared into the forest. For over ten minutes I watched the area into which the bird had disappeared with extreme concentration. When I finally turned around I discovered the owl was toying with me, the human. It had come back out to the road and landed on a tamarack pine less than 10 yards behind me. Who knows how long it had been watching me! LOL!

There not feet, they’re talons!

I see you!

Watch Out Vole (or rock!)

(link to YouTube)