Minnesota and Great Gray Owls. 2/10/2025.

This winter has been an irruption year for Great Gray and Boreal Owls in Northern Minnesota as they have come down from Canada to seek food. Often a good breeding year means that there is not enough prey, meaning voles, to support the burgeoning owl population. Lucky me, though, as Jose and I spontaneously decided to make the trip to Duluth, MN and ended up seeing five Great Gray Owls and a beautiful Boreal Owl. The skies were delightfully sunny while we were there but the temperature was bitter with a high of 10 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of -27 degrees Fahrenheit. There was one field behind a local brewery (of course we visited that after!) that had a beautiful pair of Great Gray Owls, and they were completely unperturbed by us humans. They kept landing on low trees and bushes very nearby and were looking and listening for any movement beneath the snow. The Boreal Owl was at Sax Zim Bog on a small branch that was right next to the road. As always, Jose and I tried to minimize our presence so as to not disturb the birds natural behavior.

Great Gray Owl at Sunrise

Boreal Owl