It is 52F outside at 12:30 pm on February 22nd as I type this post. My youngest son, an elite cross-country skier is scheduled to compete in the American Birkebeiner on Sunday … he hopes. The Birkie is a 54 kilometer long ski marathon with over 10,000 competitors … reduced to 30 kilometers on a tight gerbil track this winter … no snow. However it is not just championship skiers who hate this weather; animals and birds which use winter white camouflage for their protection have a difficult time this year. Snowshoe hares stand out like a sore thumb making them easier prey.

Two days ago I watched this Long-Tailed Weasel bringing bedding to its den. The weasel is a predator, but is winter coat of white fur allows its prey an easier ability to spy its approach. Many folks have visited Sax-Zim Bog this winter and say … “I saw an ermine”! Maybe yes, maybe no! Here is how one may tell the difference between a mink, ermine and weasel. I watched this weasel far from any carcasses put out by the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog. In fact, I was privilege to watch the furry white critter for 35 minutes which was amazing. It was bringing bedding to its den where soon youngsters will be born.

I also spent some time with our resident Snowy Owl. Soon it will head north. It’s natural jacket of white feathers might often make it decide to take cover during the day to hide from crows and other pesky folks. White is useless this winter.

Making the big leap from one perch to another.

There is absolutely nothing great about the first image which is remarkable, but it did represent three days of efforts and one Snowy Owl. This has been the “UnWinter”. Not only is snow not on the ground in this exceedingly strange winter, but for the first time I can ever remember I had not seen a Snowy Owl till mid February (normally I find many of the white owls as early as December 1st). In Superior, Wisconsin which is normally a hotbed for seeing the large white birds, nary an owl.
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A male Snowy Owl showed up at Sax-Zim Bog last Sunday, and I went into overdrive. Through the middle of the past week I chased this rare bird (normally a species not unusual during the winter). Finally on Wednesday I got close to the owl for a few seconds only to have some crows chase the bird out of sight (no pic). Thursday the white owl was hanging out at the far limit of my camera’s reach … really beyond the reach.
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Anyhow … a 3 day effort for one bird and one photo.

I actually knew the bird left its daytime roost out in the meadow about 45 minutes before sunset, but my schedule which includes cooking dinner for Molly and me does not allow for late afternoon or evening birding. I had given up hope of seeing the Snowy Owl close up, and had not planned to visiting Sax-Zim yesterday when a chance encounter with a reader of this blog down near Aitkin while looking for Sharp-Tailed Grouse changed my plans. It was fun to show off and explain habitat. Then I decided, why not the white owl? We drove one hour north and much to my surprise, the owl was out hunting during the middle of the day. Life is good!

This bird tends to hang out starting after the big curve on Hwy #7 just north of Arkola Road through a bit north of Sax Road where the thicker forest begins once more.

This morning was truly special. I was privileged to find and watch four unique species of owls in Northeastern Minnesota … all before 11 am! My first find was a Northern Hawk Owl up in Sax-Zim Bog at 7:00 am, 20 minutes before sunrise. From that point I moved along to various locations both in and outside Sax-Zim and found a Snowy Owl, this Great Gray Owl, and I ended the morning with Les, my local Great Horned Owl. After many days of wind, it was finally calm with snow falling lightly through the air. Make certain you watch the video (link for email subscribers), it is calming … at least it was for me.

And some still images of the Great Gray Owl hunting during the snowfall

For various reasons the other owl species did not perform well for my camera. The Snowy Owl was perched in a meadow many hundreds of yards distant. The Great Horned Owl was tucked up in its “hidey hole”, and the Northern Hawk Owl was close, but contrasted against a blah sky. I had a great time.

Northern Hawk Owl