Great Gray Owl Hunting Platform … My Head!

Year 13

In what shall go down as one of the most amazing owling experiences of my life, a Great Gray Owl decided my head would be a good platform from which to hunt voles! Uff Dah!

Before I proceed any further, I owl a HUGE debt of gratitude to the northern Minnesota landowner who invited me onto his land. This owl was and is hunting on private land, and the Great Gray is not viewable from any public road or land. Note that in these first two photos I am holding binoculars. LOL! Binoculars not needed.

  • GGO hunting from on top of my head … video link for blog subscribers. Readers of this post on the web will find the video just below these two images.

When I sent some of these images and video to my family, they had a few immediate questions. Here are my answers which will help you understand this amazing event:

  • The owl on my head is NOT A.I. generated
  • The owl is definitely wild. I suspect this bird is a juvenile owl (just hatched this spring) and its parents have stopped feeding it very often. Thus, the Great Gray Owl needs to learn how to better hunt and fend for itself.
  • I was watching the owl from a distance of about 50 yards. When the Great Gray flew directly at me … eye level … I resisted the urge to duck. The owl was amazingly light on my head and I could not feel its talons.
  • Apparently I was already motionless enough that the Great Gray decided I was a great spot from which to hunt voles. I did not move and inch while the owl was perched upon my head (about 30 seconds).

I did take photographs with my Sony A6300. Here are some of those images! Today was a day out in the woods I will remember for the rest of my life.

I took these two photos moments before the Great Gray Owl landed on my head!

Weekend Sub-Tundra Raptor Time

Year 13,

The BIG hawks from up Hudson Bay Way are arriving (and eagles). Saturday morning in a little over one hour at some prime spots in Sax-Zim Bog I spied nine Rough-Legged Hawks and two Bald Eagles. Basically I drove a big loop … Sax Road … Admiral Road … Zim Road … McDavitt Road … Sax Road … Highway 7 to the Greenhouse and back. The raptors were everywhere and I’m certain I missed some birds. Yup, it was the Hudson Bay Express! I assume quite a few of these birds will hang around till snow is on the ground (hawks do not like to hunt through snow).

Two Rough-Legged Hawks

One

Two

Friday morning I had a nice time on Stony River Forest Road, except now the “birds of the day” were Red-Tailed Hawks.

In closing, deer hunting season starts next Saturday (November 7th to 22nd) … the next three weekends. While deer hunters are very responsible, and I love birding in November here are a few of my reminders:

  • Wear Blaze orange or red while hiking
  • If you see vehicles pulled over, bird elsewhere (over one mile away). Most deer hunters use deer stands and this “distance” should keep you out of their hunting zones.
  • There are extended seasons for bow and muzzleloaders, but their range when firing is MUCH smaller
  • Remember, deer do NOT like bog habitat. If you bird true bog areas it is unlikely you will see many hunters. Note: Sax-Zim Bog has bog habitat that changes over to open meadow quickly.

I also found this Spruce Grouse which posed nicely for me on Stony River Forest Road.

Tundra Time Birding!

Year 13

The tundra birds are arriving in NE Minnesota. Yesterday I found this Snow Goose (wrong turn at Winnipeg??) which really should not be in Two Harbors on Lake Superior. Take a look at this screenshot from Audubon’s Bird Migration Explorer (a tool worth an inspection and learning). Apparently a strong NW wind must have blown this goose well off its migration path. You’ll notice how much smaller a snow goose is than the Canada Geese with which it is hanging out.

This morning I attempted to get near snow buntings, which tends to be an exercise in futility. Apparently the snow bunting is the land bird which has been recorded the closest to the North Pole! Eventually I will get close to one of these buntings. I need to find a small group of only two or three birds. Larger flocks flush when even just one bird takes alarm.