Northern Hawk Owl

Sometimes you have to go to the distance.....

As of this posting, there are only TWO Northern Hawk Owls in the state of Wisconsin. One in Douglas County near Poplar. That's in the northwestern part of the state near Superior. The other owl is at the intersection of Hwy 57 and Co. Q near Sister Bay in Door County. The one in Door County has been first spotted sometime in early December and has been hanging around there since. After reading dozen upon dozen reports, Tender Heart and I elected to make a journey to see this beautiful bird in Door County. Who knows when this bird is going to fly back home to Canada?

Hawk Owls are not rare, but their forays into Wisconsin are extremely rare. Only a handful of sighting have been reported since 2009, which makes this a special opportunity... Hawk Owls generally don't migrate, however, they are known to "invade" the northern U.S. during the winter on an irregular basis. The exact reasons are debatable.

Little is known about the Northern Hawk Owl due to a sparse population in a widespread range, but here is what we know.... Hawk Owls are a partially a diurnal hunter, meaning they basically hunt during the day. They feed mostly on small rodents and Red Squirrels, however they'll take down small game birds like grouse. They have keen eyesight and exceptional hearing. Other words, they WILL find that vole in the snow a half a mile away! They can be found perched on top of a spruce tree in partially wooded areas with an easy access to a clearing.

Hawk Owls are medium sized, about 17 inches long with a 32 inch wingspan with a white face with a black borderline. They have a dark crown with white spots, while the backside and wings are brown and black with white spots. To top it all, a thick brown barring across the chest and belly. Pretty much unmistakable...

These pictures were taken at the intersection of Hwy 57 and Co Q near Sister Bay, WI on 2/9/2013. Tender Heart and I traveled a three hour journey one way from my folk's place in Pickeral, WI to this location. The owl wasn't an easy find at first. We had expected to find it on a wire or a tree close by. Not there. Searched a couple of miles of road each direction. Nothing. Maybe it left already... Just when we were about to give up, a lady in a truck pulled along side of us and told us where the owl was. (Must of seen me with the binoculars). Sure enough, there it was! Perched in a tree next to a farmhouse! That made my day!