Saw-whet!

View of the St Croix River on the trail

I went hiking in Interstate State Park yesterday. This park gets its name because both Wisconsin and Minnesota have parks on either side of the St. Croix River. I walked the trail along the river to the potholes - which is what the park is most known for.

Pothole

The potholes were fun to see but certainly not the highlight of my day. That goes to the little fellow I found along the trail. When you are hiking along the trail and see a pile of bird poop and pellets, look up. Someone is probably using the tree as a roost.

Can you see the owl?

 

 

Northern Saw-whet Owls are the smallest owl in Minnesota. They are about 7 inches tall and weigh in at about 3 ounces. When they call, they sound a bit like a truck backing up to me.

The owl stayed in the tree the whole time I was snapping pictures, completely confident in its own camouflage. I sat on a rock and took a bunch of pictures, then went on my way. This is the first time I have come across a raptor in the wild that sat and let me get some good pictures. 

If you know me, you know I think owls are overrated. But considering that the falcons have all moved south for the winter, this was a great sighting. It was also my first wild saw-whet! It was a fantastic find to end the past couple weeks of crazy awesome bird things. In the past 10 days I have seen a Northern Shrike hunting, got bit by a raven in the face, saw a white-phase gyrfalcon and harris hawk (both falconry birds) and now the little owl. Hopefully the trend continues into the new year!