Take heart, owl observers! Northern Minnesota is in the midst of an owl irruption, with the typically rare Great Gray Owls and Boreal Owls appearing in large numbers. One lucky listener found a Boreal Owl calmly perched in their yard, refusing to budge when approached. It turns out it was guarding its meal - a flying squirrel! It’s a wonderful observation, considering there have only been a handful of recorded sightings of Boreal Owls in Beltrami County.
Meanwhile, Great Horned Owls are starting to call as they prepare to nest, and a host of other birds are putting on a show: woodpeckers are drumming to stake out their territory, and early returning Trumpeter Swans have been spotted standing on the ice at night.
Closer to ground level, deer bucks are to dropping their antlers, while foxes and coyotes are leaving scent posts around driveways, ditches, and pathways.
Signs of spring are here, and that’s reflected in the lengthening days; right now, we gain around three minutes of daylight each day.
Topics
- Introduction (0:00-0:22)
- Owl irruption and sightings (0:22-5:37)
- Woodpeckers drumming (5:37-6:44)
- Other bird sightings (6:44-10:12)
- Foxes, coyotes, and wolves marking territories (10:12-11:04)
- Winter plant phenology (11:04-13:23)
- Groundhog Day, woodchuck hibernation, and upcoming forecast (13:23-17:48)
- Conclusion (17:48-18:23)
What have you seen out there? Let us know: email us at comments@kaxe.org or text us at 218-326-1234.
That does it for this week! For more phenology, <b>subscribe</b> to our Season Watch Newsletter or visit the Season Watch Facebook page.
Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
