The golden orb finally returned this morning, and I was waiting … visited the Great Horned Owl family only moments after sunrise. Quite frankly, the owls were tired and by 20 minutes post sunrise everyone was sleeping, but before ….
Great Horned Owl Family Minutes After Sunrise
The Big Snooze Starts and I Leave! (video link for blog email subscribers)
While I have tried via many, many hikes, I have not been able to find Les, Amy and their owlets this spring. However, I would like to introduce Stella and the twins, Vox and Pax! Obviously there is a Great Horned Owl Poppa (named Stan), but he is shy when I am around with my camera. I gave the twins names not normally associated with any given sex. While I am able to tell adult Great Horned Owls apart, I personally can not make this judgement with owlets.
I have watching this owl family for about a week, but have yet to have a “sunny photo opp session”. Images with the great yellow orb will come. For now, here is this year’s Great Horned Owl family (not yard birds, but not to far from my home)
The Twins (Pax and Vox)
Momma Great Horned Owl (Stella is always watching her owlets)
The swallows return to Capistrano, and White Pelicans return each spring during their northern migration to fish the spawn just above Duluth’s Chambers Grove Park (a fantastic viewing spot). Yesterday afternoon, when the rains abated and the sky became brighter (still cloudy), much of Duluth including me decided to make the trek to watch the event.
For the next 2+ weeks there will be HUGE numbers of White Pelicans roosting on the island reefs just offshore from the park. The birds will be close! Make certain you walk a bit upriver to points that let you view the other side of the island. There will be many more active pelicans than the pelicans near the park which tend to be resting (many birds have just completed a long flight). The pelicans on the other side of the island and upstream tend to spend more time fishing.
Here are some of my photos and videos with explanations from yesterday afternoon …
Not Welcome Here! (remember … this is courting season and birds get feisty. The White Pelican walking up onto the reef was encouraged to move elsewhere!)
Some landscape views of the island and reefs (there were easily 250+ pelicans at Chambers Grove)
Fishing (the pelicans fish like wolf packs … surrounding spawning fish … one pelican catches a fish then the entire “student body” arrives … videos included in this sequence)
Fishing Videos of the Spring Fish Spawning Run on the St. Louis River
Courting and Preening (White Pelicans as they form attachments to their mates take courtship flights and even flap / splash while swimming)
Courting / Flapping / Splashing Videos