Snowy Owl!

In the past week, I have gone up to Duluth in search of Snowy Owls on 3 different occasions. I got skunked a couple times but yesterday I finally spotted one!

My First Snowy Owl!

Take 2: Not the best but decent considering we were on a major bridge in a moving vehicle

This year is what people are calling an irruption year for snowy owls - they are coming down from the tundra where they are normally found in large numbers. There is some debate over the precise reason that owls are coming down this year but it is generally tied to food supply. Duluth happens to be one of the areas frequented by the owls.

If you are not familiar with this owl but read Harry Potter, Hedwig is a snowy owl. Only, in the books Hedwig is female and in the movie Hedwig is played by a male. Actually 7 male owls. Probably because the males are smaller and were easier for the actors to handle.

A bridge to Wisconsin over Lake Superior

Ice on Lake Superior

The rest of the snowy owl spotting team

It was a great day hanging out in the city. We saw 2 snowy owls - the one in the pictures on the bridge and another flying down by the grain elevators. I also got Starbucks and some shopping in. Just amazing :)