Category: Sax Zim Bog

A few from the Sax-Zim Bog

2/24/2018

There are a lot of different birds and wildlife to be found in the Sax-Zim Bog area in Northern Minnesota, you just need to spend some time driving around to find them. All photos were taken with the long telephoto lens from the car, except for the Northern Hawk Owl. I had to hike back in the the woods to get that one this time to get better lighting. But it was very high at the top of a very tall spruce tree looking and listening for voles under the snow. The Great Gray Owl and Pileated Woodpecker were both quick grab shots out the window and then they flew away. There are so many more birds and wildlife that I didn't get, but because of heavy snow I decided to head home early.
Click the pictures below to see larger in a slide show.

See previous Sax-Zim bog posts - January 2018, June 2016, January 2015,

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Great Grey Owls at Sax-Zim Bog 2

1/3/2015

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Great Grey Owl at Sax-Zim Bog

I started out the new year taking pictures of Pine Siskins and House Finches in the back yard, very distant photos of Snowy Owl near Ventura, IA, then headed up to Sax-Zim Bog northwest of Duluth, MN to try to get pictures of a Great Grey Owl. This was my second trip (see previous post from February of 2014). I was lucky this time and got pictures of two different Great Grey Owls on Admiral Road and McDavitt Road that were fairly cooperative in allowing several photographers and birders to get some pictures from a distance with telephoto lenses while the owls were searching for an easy meal. It was fun watching one owl swoop down and land on a mouse in the snow (wild mouse - not baited). It was a dark, cloudy, dreary day, with snow and sleet in the morning. Not my favorite kind of day for bird pictures - a little too dark, but I got a few photos. Others included Purple Finches, Common Redpolls, White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches, Gray Jays, Chickadees, a Barred Owl and many more. There were also several Red Squirrels. I did not get to see a Snowy Owl , nor a Northern Hawk-Owl which often frequent the area in the Winter, and apparently I just missed and Ermine. Maybe next time. There is no guarantee that you will see a Great Grey Owl if you go to the bog. It is a very larger area covering many square miles. Some people go to visit and never see an owl of any kind. Watch the Sax-Zim Bog Facebook page for recent reports. and drive around the likely areas many times. Early in the morning at sunrise and late in the afternoon at sunset are usually the better times, but it can vary day-to-day. Good luck if you decide to go. Be sure to stop at the visitor's center on Owl Avenue, where there are lots of opportunities to see and photograph smaller birds at the many feeders.
You can learn more about the bog and find maps here - http://sax-zimbog.com/
[Click the pictures below to see larger.] More Owl photos here...

Short Video of the Great Grey Owl (click below):
Friday, January 2, 2015, Admiral Road

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Great Grey Owl - Sax-Zim Bog

2/26/2014

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Great Grey Owl, Sax-Zim Bog, Minnesota

Sunday I went to the Sax-Zim Bog area Northwest of Duluth, Minnesota to look for Great Grey Owls, Snowy Owls, Northern Hawk Owls and anything else that we might find with a foot of new snow on the ground. We found the Great Grey Owl perched high in a tree before sunrise in the twilight. It was on Admiral Road just north of the bird feeders. We got a few shots from the car until it flew a short distance away, and then we were able to get a few shots outside of the car just after sunrise until it disappeared in to the woods. We also found a Snowy Owl on Zim Road and Greenfield, but it was high in a tree and we did not get any good photos. We never found the Northern Hawk Owl. Very disappointing.
If you want to learn more about the Sax-Zim Bog area search on Google or Facebook. There are at least two Facebook sites dedicated to the bog and several web sites with maps and more info. We met people from all over the country who where there to look for birds. If you happen to find a Great Grey Owl locally let me know. I'd love to get some more photos of this majestic bird.
There are more Great Grey Owl photos here - click to view.

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A few from the Sax-Zim Bog

Great Grey Owls at Sax-Zim Bog 2

Great Grey Owl - Sax-Zim Bog

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