Northern Hawk Owl

The second wildlife encounter was with a Northern Hawk Owl. This one was at the Traders Post in Grand Portage. The owl was on the power line. It was used to people since many walk between the casino and the Traders Post. As I took the photos several people walked by and commented on the beautiful owl.

I was sitting in the car watching the owl when it swooped down into the highway ditch after a mouse. It came up empty and continued back to its perch on the dead aspen tree. My eyes were right on the owl as it was positioned to fly right over my car. I didn’t see the truck coming. My window was open so the first thing I heard was the thud as the owl bounced off the truck’s grill. It lay on the side of the highway weakly flapping its wings. Immediately, two crows landed and started pecking the owl even before it died. I couldn’t believe my eyes and was pretty upset. I know owls are struck by vehicles regularly. This one had more of an impact on me since I was there and concentrating on it as it flew towards me. I didn’t even see the truck until after it hit the owl.

NorthernHawkOwl

Piebald Deer

We had two interesting wildlife encounters last week. Visitors at Cascade River State Park have been seeing a whitetail deer with white spots on its face and sides. The deer has been around for a couple of years but recently started hanging around the campground. I have seen it four times in the last week. It is called a piebald deer. Only about 1% of the deer population has this coloration.

PiebaldDeer