My family and I spent December 21-23, which included my birthday (Dec. 21), searching for birds in northeastern Minnesota. This was my first time getting up to experience the owl invasion, and it was thrilling. I saw a total of 38 owls, including 26 great grays between 7:30 - 8:30 A.M.
OWLS Great Gray Owls LAKE COUNTY 12/22 Hwy 61 - 3 birds between Duluth and Two Harbors ST. LOUIS COUNTY 12/23 SAX-ZIM BOG Hwy 7 - 20 birds between Hwy 52 and Stone Lake Road 12/23 SAX-ZIM BOG Stone Lake Road - 6 birds 12/23 Cty Rd 133 - 2 birds just before Hwy 73, 2 birds past Hwy 73 Northern Hawk Owls LAKE COUNTY 12/22 Hwy 61 - 1 bird just before mile 42 on the left side of the road ST. LOUIS COUNTY 12/23 SAX-ZIM BOG McDavitt Rd- 1 bird a mile north of Sax Rd 12/23 Hwy 73 - 1 bird on the right side of the road, between Cty Rds 133 and 25 AITKIN COUNTY 12/23 Cty Rd 18 - 2 birds within two blocks east of Hwy 169, on opposite sides of the road NON-OWLS Gray Jay - 4 on Spruce Road, Lake Cty Boreal Chickadee - 1 at a feeder in Isabella, Lake Cty. Another at Owl Avenue in the Sax-Zim Bog, St. Louis Cty Bohemian Waxwing - flock of over 50 at Meadowlands, Sax-Zim Bog Common Grackle - 1 at a feeder in Palisade, Aitkin Cty Evening Grosbeak - 1 at Isabella Pine Grosbeak - over 20 at Isabella. Small flock along Stone Lake Road in the Sax-Zim Bog Pine Siskin - small flocks in Palisade and Sax-Zim Bog I also saw a single moose along Hwy 1 in Lake County, about 10 miles north of Finland. All in all, the trip was great birthday gift! Keith Pulles, Wright County
