A gray wolf and her partner are made for the bone-numbing, snowy conditions found in Minnesota's northern woods. The wolves disappeared like phantoms while we explored the Gunflint Trail looking for lynx. Trail magic!
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Beautiful hoary redpolls perch in the trees. Seeing them was a great surprise.
A great gray owl begins its evening hunt along a road in Sax Zim Bog about an hour north of Duluth. People come from far and wide to look for these amazing birds. We only saw two during our visit and it was likely the same owl.
The boreal forest has a completely different feel than the Eastern forests where I live. There are so many endemic species to appreciate such as this boreal chickadee.
Most birders come to northern Minnesota to look for owls. This boreal owl was a surprise. Odds are it's the only one I will ever see in my life.
This sleepy barred owl was perched over a bird feeder at the entrance to Winterberry Bog. Its feathers were fluffed up to trap body heat in the bracing cold.
A northern hawk owl is conspicuous in the woods for its habit of perching atop the evergreens like a Christmas tree topper.
Northern hawk owls are active during the day. This one was hunting a road edge protected by trees where there was less snow cover.
The deep wine colors of a pine grosbeak are welcome in the bleak winter landscape.
Snowshoe hares find exposed grass under fir trees when the drifts get deeper.
A red squirrel licks snow off its arms after foraging on the ground. There is no standing water in sub-zero temperatures, so animals have to adapt.
A squirrel tries to stay warm while foraging in temperatures that plunged to -32 degrees that morning. It was the coldest cold I have ever felt.
A Canada jay picks at a deer ribcage at the Sax Zim Bog Visitor Center. The meat helps support the native wildlife during the winter. Sometimes they attract ermines and pine martens, but I was never lucky enough to see one.
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