
416 - "Whooo" will we see?
From Natural Connections by Emily Stone
March 5, 2026 · 7 min · Season 1 · Episode 416
About this episode
The episode explores the owls of Sax-Zim Bog and the recent quiet season compared to last year's irruption.
Seeing a moth seemed to signal that evening was coming, and our thoughts turned to owls. Sax-Zim Bog is famous for hosting rare owls. Last year was an incredible irruption year when great gray owls, boreal owls, and snowy owls visited from their homes farther north. This year has been much quieter. A few great gray owls nest here, but lately they've been secretive. We'd heard that a northern hawk owl was hunting at the edge of a field on some of the private land that makes up the patchwork of ownership in Sax-Zim Bog Important Bird Area in Northern Minnesota, so off we went!
People in this episode
Host: Emily Stone
Topics covered
- owls
- bird watching
- Sax-Zim Bog
- wildlife
- natural history
Keywords
- owls
- Sax-Zim Bog
- great gray owls
- boreal owls
- snowy owls
- northern hawk owl
- bird watching
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: great gray owls, boreal owls, snowy owls, northern hawk owl
Places: Sax-Zim Bog, Northern Minnesota
More episodes of Natural Connections
- 425 - The Trill of a Pine Warbler · May 7, 2026 · 6 min
- 424 - A Torrent of Mis-Named Birds · April 30, 2026 · 7 min
- 423 - A Shorebird in the Forest · April 23, 2026 · 7 min
- 422 - The Heron's Plan · April 16, 2026 · 6 min
- 421 - Sunrise Dancers · April 9, 2026 · 6 min
- 420 - Spring Cleaning with Turkey Vultures · April 2, 2026 · 6 min
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