Today was a bit cool… 6 below when we got up, but the sun was shining, so we thought we go out and stand around at the airport and look for a Snowy Owl. There have been reports of a Snowy Owl on Cargo road. The wind chill made it about impossible to stand for long out in the open so we stayed in the car on our heated seats and birded.
We never did see the Owl, but one photographer said that he’d been there 15 times before he finally saw him. I’ve only been there 3 times, so I don’t feel too bad.
The trip was worth the drive though as we were able to still add a bird to our life list… the Snow Bunting. We saw a flock of 20 eating grass seed along the runway. Both the Bunting and the Owl spend the summer in the “extreme northern margins of the arctic tundra”, so I guess Minneapolis is a nice place to winter for some folks.
Here is what the Snow Bunting looks like in the summer (breeding season) and in winter. (not my photos). And below is what we saw today. (my photos)
Maybe a Snowy Owl next week?
Summer plumage
Winter Plumage
Mpls Airport