As a nature photographer, I’m always interested in new areas to explore and photograph. In my travels, I have often heard of this birding festival in Northern Minnesota called the Sax-Zim Bog Birding Festival. It is an area where good numbers of Northern Boreal birds come a little further south to winter. The attraction is the lure of small rodents and wide open spaces, enough to attract elusive birds of prey, especially owls. What could be better than a bog? And what is a bog, you might ask? A bog is simply a marshland, with low trees, mostly grass covered, ideal for prey animals such as fox, coyotes, and in upper Minnesota, wolves. Deer and turkeys thrive there also. Being a marshland, it is teeming with small rodents such as mice, voles, squirrels, mink, etc, thus attracting many birds of prey.
What draws people to the area is always the chance to see and photograph a Great Gray Owl. I have always wanted to see, and of course, photograph this beautiful owl again. I had last seen one near Warren many years ago. When asked by a fellow photographer if I wanted to go, I was all in! I was kind of leery of the time of year we would go — mid February. Doesn’t it get really cold up there? I decided not to worry about that small fact, after all, I did live in Alaska for a couple of years, and I still had all my fingers and toes!
On Feb. 8, we headed for the far north. It was a two day trip, stopping overnight at the tip of Michigan. The next day, we crossed over to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and continued our westward journey. We arrived at our destination in Minnesota just before dark. We had rented a house just east of the famous bog. Exhausted, we hit the sack for the long day to come.
Before light we headed for the bog, with hopes high on seeing anything that resembles an owl. The bog is not a park, but a rural farming area with ideal habitat for any hungry owl. After driving the bog for awhile in the mild 30 degree temps, we came to a feeding station in a remote, lightly trafficked area. Downy woodpeckers, blue jays, and an occasional gray jay flitted in and out while we watched.
Then someone noticed an owl perched near the feeding station. It was a Boreal Owl. These small owls are seldom seen because of their ability to stay hidden from most human activity. Thankfully this Boreal didn’t get the memo, as he perched near the feeders looking for a meal. Wow, I thought, only in the bog for a few hours and I saw and photographed an owl I had never seen before. This was just the beginning, as I soon realized that the days ahead would prove to be very rewarding. The next day we saw and photographed a Hawk Owl, another boreal forest owl of the far north. Hunting from the top of tall pines, he was easy to spot and photograph. Wednesday also proved to be a good day, with better pictures of the Hawk Owl, and a very cooperative Barred Owl, posing with no fear of humans. Thursday morning the weather was again clear and calm, but with one slight difference … it was -20 degrees, and it lasted all day!
The good news was that it was sunny out. We got more Barred Owl shots, and some great woodpecker shots, plus an elusive Snowy Owl. When you’re seeing and photographing these great subjects, the cold doesn’t seem to be a big deal. It was hard to believe we had been there for four days already. Frida, Feb. 14., we would be heading home.
We packed for the trip home on Thursday night, hoping to leave the bog early Friday morning. As we were leaving, a report came over the “bog hotline” of a Great Gray sighting. We were there, so we went for a look, finding the Great Gray hunting a few hundred feet off the road. We got some shots, as we realized the temperature was now a balmy -29 degrees. Taking a few shots of the Great Gray, we left the bog and headed for Pennsylvania. Stopping overnight in Holland, Michigan, I felt right at home. We shot a couple of Lake Michigan lighthouses the next morning, and then headed out.
A fun trip, with a few new species to add to my birding list. I still can’t wait for the warmer spring birding trips to come. Cold weather photography can be rewarding, so don’t hesitate-go outside and enjoy! Until my next adventure……………
Questions or wildlife sightings — email me at rocky.holland1@verizon.net
