Northern trip - Owl and mammal encounters

After our extended redpoll photo session at Hilliardton Marsh the four of us hopped back into our vehicles to start driving northwest towards Cochrane and beyond. We weren't sure how far we would make it that night, perhaps we would be arriving at the burn near Hearst in the late afternoon, or it might be something we would postpone until the following morning.

It was another beautiful day - sunny with not a cloud in the sky - though the temperature hovered around the -20 mark. We kept an eye out of the truck windows while we drove, in hopes of seeing birds, but as expected very little was around. It is a poor winter for finches in this part of Ontario, and large swathes of the boreal forest can be practically devoid of birds during the winter. We had hoped to see a Northern Hawk Owl or two as higher than usual numbers had been reported along Highway 11, but it was not to be.

After gassing up and grabbing a few groceries in Cochrane, Jeremy and I drove north to investigate some agricultural fields, while Todd and Mark headed northeast from Cochrane, checking a few other roads. It was here that I had one of the most memorable mammal experiences that I have ever had. We approached a dead end road and decided to turn onto a different road, when at the last second decided that we might as well drive to the end of the dead end road anyways. You never know what could be down there! Just as Jeremy was backing the truck up, a white flash appeared on the shoulder of the road. Jeremy let out some choice words just as I saw what was happening. A Short-tailed Weasel was trotting alongside the shoulder of the road right towards us!!

What happened next was seemingly unreal, and though the entire encounter lasted about 30 seconds, it felt like it was ten times as long. The weasel quickly dove into the roadside snowbank and pulled out a vole, which I think is a Meadow Vole. In a matter of seconds it had pierced the back of the skull, swiftly killing the vole, then took off running along the roadside and into a nearby field, proudly carrying its prey. A few seconds later and it had ducked into a hole along the side of a snow pile.

Short-tailed Weasel and vole sp. - north of Cochrane

Short-tailed Weasel and vole sp. - north of Cochrane

Short-tailed Weasel and vole sp. - north of Cochrane

Short-tailed Weasel and vole sp. - north of Cochrane

Jeremy and I were in shock! This was only the second Short-tailed Weasel that I had ever seen (I think Jeremy had seen two previously), and to not only see it well but to watch it hunt was pretty incredible.

We continued on, getting back on Highway 11 and driving west towards Hearst. Most towns were pretty quiet, bird wise, but wherever we found bird feeders we also discovered small numbers of Pine Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls. Interestingly, the redpolls were mostly Common Redpolls, while at Hilliardton Marsh Hoary Redpoll was the dominant species.

Pine Grosbeak - Moonbeam, Cochrane District

Pine Grosbeak - Moonbeam, Cochrane District

To this point we were kind of surprised that we had not encountered any Northern Hawk Owls, given how many had been reported during the last month. Our luck finally changed near the town of Opasatika as Todd and Mark, driving ahead of us, had spotted one from the highway.

Northern Hawk Owl - east of Opasatika, Cochrane District

Originally the bird was quite distant on the edge of a wetland and just when I was about to look at it through the scope it dropped off its snag and disappeared. Ten seconds later, a black and white, falcon-shaped bird came streaking in, flying directly at us, and came up for a landing on a nearby utility pole. It was the hawk owl! The lighting was terrible where I was standing, but Jeremy managed to grab some great in-flight shots!

A few seconds later the owl re-positioned, landing on the top of a conifer. We enjoyed the few minutes here with the owl before it continued on to a more distant perch at the edge of the marsh. Just incredible!

Northern Hawk Owl - east of Opasatika, Cochrane District

Northern Hawk Owl - east of Opasatika, Cochrane District

Northern Hawk Owl - east of Opasatika, Cochrane District

The flood gates had been opened and only fifteen minutes later Jeremy and I came across another Northern Hawk Owl. Mark and Todd showed up a few minutes later to enjoy this bird as well.

Watching the Northern Hawk Owl (can you spot it?)

Northern Hawk Owl - west of Opasatika, Cochrane District

We were making good time and so decided that we would continue driving west past Hearst towards Longlac to spend the night. The time of day was perfect for owls, though no more would make an appearance for us.

At one point as I was staring diligently out of the window I was shocked to see a Gray Wolf standing in the snow. We quickly turned the truck around; luckily the wolf had remained.

Gray Wolf - west of Hearst, Cochrane District

I've seen occasional Gray Wolves in northern Ontario over the years while doing field work but this was the first one that hung around long enough for good looks and photos. A great way to end the day!

Gray Wolf - west of Hearst, Cochrane District

The following morning we would begin heading back east, stopping at the burn to look for woodpeckers. That will be subject of the next post!