We are currently having an owl eruption on the North Shore. Great Grey and Boreal Owls have been coming down from Canada travelling along the North Shore. It is an incredible opportunity for bird enthusiasts to see these fascinating owls. Karla and I were coming back from Duluth and stopped along one of the interior roads where we came across a beautiful Boreal Owl along with several Great Grey Owls.

Despite being two feet tall Great Greys weigh less than three pounds. From the side you can see the disc shaped feathers around their face that gathers sounds and channels them back to their ears. One ear is higher than the other so they can use triangulation to pinpoint where the mouse is. Their hearing is so incredible that they can hear a mouse running under the snow from half a football field away.

Their velvet-like surface on their wing feathers helps them to float in silence. The voles never know they are coming. It is an amazing experience when they fly right past you without making a sound.

With a blue Lake Superior and Wisconsin shoreline in the distance our last view made for a dramatic image. In total we saw over a dozen Great Grey Owls and four Boreal Owls.