I suspect many of you already know these facts, but for beginning birders, whenever you are driving along a road in the winter in snow country, if you spot lots of ravens and crows near road kill, stop and look for eagles. Our nation’s national bird is a top of the food chain scavenger. Yesterday while driving the expressway from Two Harbors, I noticed lots of crows, then roadkill, and then this Bald Eagle. Thus, don’t just blow by road kill at high speed. You may miss a nice photo opportunity.

Yesterday, my readers who subscribe to this blog know I had a fantastic evening … privy to a Snowy Owl fight. Believe it or not, talons were a plenty beyond the Snowies. Northern Hawk Owls, unlike most other owls, hunt during the day. Around noon a friend and I found this individual sharpening his talons up for the midday hunt.

Talons!

Actually not sharpening talons … preening!

If you were a vole, you would be in BIG trouble!

The last two days were stormy with strong winds. In short, I knew that the owls had not been able to hunt successfully. With that knowledge I headed out before sunrise to my owling grounds. I was not disappointed! The number of Great Gray Owls which were hunting after sunup was amazing. Starvation is a great motivator.

Dawn’s Early Light Over the Owling Grounds!

Attack of the Vole Patrol

Great Gray Owl and its Vole (same owl as in prior sequence)

Northern Hawk Owl gets in on the Action!