First sign of Snowy things for the year.

[jonny_redhorse]

Jim ,that may just be a good idea and I'm sure the birds would love it!....it probably wouldn't be a good idea to place anything out just yet as the states deer season is almost here and there will be loads of traffic on even the most secluded areas.......plus it's warm yet and the ribs would deteriorate quickly...if one could freeze the ribs for a few weeks it sure would help....little early yet though...a weekend down the road in late november or december could certainly be arranged and also give some time to find that "best spot" for the tallow/ribs...certainly will keep in touch in the future and thanks for the offer!...will make for some great photography/bird watching!....not just pine grosbeaks but the elusive boreal chickadees, the grey jays ...looking forward to this winter!

[jonny_redhorse]

Steve .I hear you on the snow buntings!...I went through the winding roads of the Sax Bog yesterday and I bet I saw 300 buntings!...I've always wondered why that particular species of bird(usually in small 25-30 bird flocks) will land a few feet in front of your vehicle and let you get a few feet away and then take off,fly about 50' further down the road and land again...again let you get close and then keep this pattern of taking off and landing for hundreds of yards....I've watched these buntings do this for almost half a mile on those backroads!....maybe they are just curious of us ....nice birds at any rate,just fun to watch em!

[Dotch]

Just when I was bemoaning the fact yesterday that you guys up north have all the "fun birds", I spied an unusual but and slightly larger guest amongst a group of house finches at the sunflower feeder. I knew someone had posted the pics of them here so looked it up and sure enough, it was a male white-winged crossbill. First one I've ever seen here.

Keep those great owl pics coming. There are some owls here too, but they're stealthy and quiet aside from the crows showing up in the mornings and evenings harassing them. Never get close enought to see exactly who they are. Someday.

[Jim Almquist]

Jonny I will keep a couple of rib cages and put them in the freezer along with some chunks of tallow.When the time seems right we can meet and set them out. I hope that I am not jinxing myself with the promise of ribs and tallow

[Steve Foss]

Hey, can I get in on that too?

If instead of hanging them you wire them to a photogenic tree (paying attention to how the light falls) and spread a little weasel musk on the tree, you'll likely get weasels and pine martens as well as the birds.

Hmmmmmmm.

[Jim Almquist]

So now we are going to have to have a GTG to hang the ribs and a GTG to take pics of the critters that are at the ribs Just what in the heck is weasel musk ?

[Steve Foss]

Just what in the heck is weasel musk ?

Trappers know about weasel lure scent.

[jonny_redhorse]

Of course Steve!....no one's really runnin the show here as far as I know .....guess whomever would like to go out to the "bog" and set up some "treats" for the birds/critters are certainly welcome.....I have a few favored areas that may very well be of interest for the "site" and would be open to pros and cons either way for the best photo ops....Steve's knowlege would sure be helpful for sure in regards to the the best photogenic backgrounds etc......As I said earlier,there's an intersection on Owl Avenue, quite secluded photogenic area ......swamp spruce/ tamarac bog... and some popples etc....wolf tracks every year, coyote tracks, fox tracks....I threw seed and tallow blocks there last year and had the usual pine grosbeaks, a few boreal chickadees, "regular" chickadees of course, juncos and various woodpeckers(almost everytime) ....tons of redpolls....I thought this year of putting the sight somewhat off the "beaten path" to keep the "casual motorist" from just driving by and gazing ........Might just be better to put the sight a few dozen yards from the traffic lanes....keeps the "crazies" away from the sight ....last year I met a somewhat reknowned nature photog that had just snapped a few beautiful images of apine marten just as I approached the site...shows that more then just birds frequent these stations for sure....I was even thinking of using my "outhouse blind" this year and spending a portion of the day sitting waiting for whatever may use the site....with a heater inside for warmth of course....just ideas ....it's going to be a great winter!

[Steve Foss]

Jonny, if you heat the blind, make sure your lens sticks out the opening far enough, or the heat escaping from the blind will make those distorting heat waves in front of the lens and ruin the pics.

Hmmm, I never knew Brandenburg frequented the Sax-Zim Bog.

[jonny_redhorse]

lol!.....It wasn't Brandenberger .....it was a "her" from the cities and has her own blog...not sure if it would be appropriate to use her name here......she was a great photographer for sure!....those images of that pine marten were fantastic!....I hear you on the fogged lens/mirage thing.....if it's a sunny day,the heat from the sun usually warms the blind sufficiently without a heater....if it's 25 below,I won't be there anyways! ..........Many years ago ,we made our own trapping scents(sun rendered fish oil).....gallons of the oily brown/greenish glop....took a 55 gallon drum and buried it to the cover,...threw in fish like suckers etc. and filled it all summer......talk about stink ...but the weasel ,mink, coyotes and fisher sure loved the stuff!....this is not suggested however...if you want to have neighbors ....plus I don't think my wife would appreciate doing this in the middle of downtown Hibbing ...I'll stick with the scents from L&M Supply

[JayinMN]

I should have quite a few deer rib cages piled up too after deer season. I ask everyone I know who hunts to save them for me. It would also be nice to find a couple road kills and throw them in a more open area for magpies and bald eagles.

This year I would not be surprised if a moose were spotted feeding in the area they logged at the beginning of S. Admiral. The browse looks real good for one, nice tender aspen popping up all over. I have been seeing tracks on that part of the road quite frequently as well.

Oh the possibilities are endless! Bring on the cold and snow!

[jonny_redhorse]

Jay..... the one who really started this rib station thing down in the bog .....the trend has started ....kudos to you!...hopefully this year will be as good as last for those "special" encounters with the birds....I'm also going to have the guys at work save their ribcages....should get a couple anyways.....I hear you on the moose sign on the S.Admiral...I saw a few tracks there myself a couple of weeks ago but still have yet to see any....october was rut time for the big guys......One thing I may try this year is also a "rabbit call"(fox caller) the high pitched scream of an injured rabbit....I've called in owls years ago with one of these (well,crows and ravens also )...I have a couple different types, electronic and the "regular" ones....The area I was thinking of for a rib cage would be the sectionline area on Owl Avenue...I had a feed area there last year (as everyone must know) and did ok and there wasn't any "no hunting" signs there that I could remember....S.Admiral was a "public wildlife area" open to hunting which was great also....just gotta be careful where one places those feeders for sure...the bog is big country...I'm sure there's still areas that are "prime" for feeder placement that haven't been touched yet...even the area off hwy #7....

[Steve Foss]

I'm going to be in the bog all day today.

C'mon sunrise! Or should I say, fogrise.

[jonny_redhorse]

....Lucky you!......I'll be slaving away all day! ......Will be looking forward to some images when I get out of work! .......check out that intersection on Owl Avenue Steve!....see what you think!...the one with the big water filled ditch running east and west.....it's a definite for a few of my "treats".....

[Jim Almquist]

If you think that it would help I could start saving some of my fish remains and put them in the freezer if it would work as a good attractant. I have a friend that traps so I will see where he gets his supplies from or if he make his own concoction.

[Catmendo]

I just want to mention that I will keep you all posted "when" the sighting's of snowy's increase in my region. I never did really explain why this region is such an attractant for snowy owls. For starters, the region offers a very diverse landscape. first of all, there's the Red River's delta, better know as Netley Marsh. This is a very large expanse of marshland that coversmore than 100 square miles. Minutes to the east and your are now entering Pre-Cambrian Shield country which dominates the entire east side of Manitoba both north and south. To the immediate west of Netley Marsh there's another massive wetland called, "Oakhammock Marsh". Oakhammock is the Canadian headquarters for Ducks Unlimited Canada. For those interested, simply google it.

Like Netley Marsh, Oakhammock's massive exspanse is a haven for a multitude of rodents from field mice to muskrats and beaver. The entire region is also subjected to a vibrant agriculture community. In a nutshell, it offers plenty of wide open spaces which raptors thrive in and so too do rodents. You could say it's a marriage made in heaven if your a bird of prey!

Like other regions, there are those winters where the snowy olw is not prolifick. Then there are those winters when the snowy can be observed on a daily basis. We never know what's in store for us from year to year, you just have to wait and see. Three winters ago, (before I invested in my Canon gear) I had as many as six Great Grey's sitting directly along hydro poles and fencelines on the road in which I live. They aren't a shy bird, in fact, you could actually stop your vehicle, make direct eye contact with them and they would not take to the wing. Now that I'm much better technically photographically equipped, I'll be on the lookout and I will be glad to share any info for those who are interested.

[JayinMN]

I think we got Steve a little too excited...lol

It will be nice to see what he comes back with. I guess its to late to tell him to come up Hwy 5. There is a dead deer in the ditch that eagles, crows, ravens and magpies have been feeding on.

Hey Johnny, are you still putting out 200 pounds of bird seed a week this winter? I see sunflowers have fallen to $20.00 a bag.....lol

[Steve Foss]

Not too late at all.

I got sidetracked with some things, but we're leaving PDQ for the an afternoon bog trot! Pretty darn windy but we'll see what's what.

[MN Shutterbug]

you'll likely get weasels and pine martens as well as the birds.

Hmmmmmmm.

Bonuses, for sure.

[jonny_redhorse]

not going to happen Jay!......a few pounds but nothing like last year!.....got a few guys at work commiting their "deer ribs" this year.....more meat ,less seed .....

[Steve Foss]

If you throw some seed down where the ribs are, best of both worlds!

[jonny_redhorse]

That's "the plan" Steve

[gatorhunter]

Gatorhunter lives in Stu country, if memory serves.

Adult male snowies tend to have much more white and less black than females. There's a lot of variation among individual birds, and juveniles of both sexes can have a lot of black on them, so this is a tendency rather than a certain field mark separating sexes. But if you see a snowy that is very white with very little black, it's pretty much for sure an adult male.

Yes I could've been more precise. One was definitely an adult male (almost completely white) while two were probably juvenile males as they had paler bars with the typical whitish tie down the breast. I believe that the two females were juveniles as they were very darkly barred.

I'm seeing multiple snowy owls daily in the Oak Hammock Marsh area which is approximately 20 minutes north of Winnipeg. It is typically a snowy owl lovers' dream at this time of year but this year seems to be extremely popular with snowies.

[MN Shutterbug]

Just how far would that be from SW MN?

Never mind. I just figured out it's about 435 miles from here.

[Steve Foss]

X, if it's a big winter for snowies down here, you're in prime open country for them. Just keep scanning the tops of fence posts and power line poles.

When I lived in the Red River Valley, not that far north from you, we'd see some number of them every winter.