Great Horned Owl in the nest in Milwaukee County Wisconsin on March 6, 2025

One of my birding stops today was checking on a previous found Great Horned Owl in a nest. The male is in the area bringing food to the female when needed but stays well away from the nest not to attract predators. The female bird in the nest is up a little higher since the last visit so that means the little owlets are probably out of the eggs and getting bigger fast. It was a nice sunny day but a very cold wind from the north, it still felt like winter with temps around 35 degrees. Image was taken on March 6, 2025.

Great Horned Owl in the nest in Waukesha County Wisconsin on March 2, 2025

Today I decided to focus on Great Horned Owls in nests. I had hit 4 locations wandering around the woods with hopes to find one in a nest. It was just a gorgeous morning to be out strolling around the woods with the snow being gone. Things were pretty quiet overall. As the morning was winding down and I was at my last location, I spotted this beautiful Great Horned Owl sitting in a nest. It was a cold morning starting out at 18 degrees, some wind and full sun which at times felt good. Images were taken on March 2, 2025.

There she is sitting on some eggs…the male is typically within sight of the nest off aways…

She is at the top of that tree…cell pic

Northern Saw-whet Owl in Southeastern Wisconsin on February 18, 2025

It has been very cold with temp highs of 6 degrees. I have been mostly birding from the car and in general birding has been slow out there. Most rivers, ponds and lakes are froze over and winter finches are limited. Roadside birds have been Horned Larks, Red-tailed Hawks and American Tree Sparrows. At home about 25 American Tree Sparrows, 15 Dark-eyed Juncos and some Mourning Doves have been at the bird feeders steady. I decided to check on a Northern Saw-whet Owl I found back in December of last year. It was present, in the same tree too as it was back then, amazing. I took a photo and left the area. It was cold, there was a little sun, and also a good breeze at times. Image was taken on February 18, 2025.

The Northern Saw-whet Owl…

Eastern Screech Owl, gray morph in Milwaukee County Wisconsin on February 11, 2025

This Eastern Screech Owl, gray morph was a fun one to find today. I’m still in search for more Northern Saw-whet Owls this winter which is what lead me to find this owl today. As I’m walking around some large pines with no branches on the lower  6 feet of the tree I hear Black-capped Chickadees making a heck of a ruckus above. I look up into the tree I’m under and see nothing but a couple of Chickadees moving around. I moved on to a couple more of the large pines and saw nothing. Then I thought, I better double check that tree where all the action was. Looking up again into the tree, I see a Gray Squirrel running around. That’s sorta odd? Walking away from the tree I look back about 25 feet, a screech owl is watching me, enjoying some sun. It was a cold morning with temps at 20 degrees mid-morning, some wind at times but full sun that did bring in some warmth out of the wind. Image was taken on February 11, 2025.

Eastern Screech Owl, gray morph…

Cell phone pic – just enjoying the sun…

The owl is so tiny on this photo, but it is there, cell phone pic…

Eastern Screech Owl in Milwaukee County Wisconsin on January 26, 2025

I stopped at a few birding spots this morning and one of them provided nice looks at a Eastern Screech Owl. It was nestled in a very old crab apple tree in a natural cavity. It was out enough to catch some very nice sun. It was a cold morning with temps of 16 degrees, sunny skies and a good wind at times. Image was taken on January 26, 2025

Can you find the Eastern Screech Owl?

Eastern Screech Owl in Milwaukee County Wisconsin on January 24, 2025

One of my birding stops today gave great views of a Eastern Screech Owl. It was perched in a spruce tree along a road. It was enjoying the morning sun on a cold day with temps around 18 degrees, some wind at times but sunny skies that were warm at times. Image was taken on January 24, 2025.

The Eastern Screech Owl perched in the pine…

Northern Saw-whet Owl in Southeastern Wisconsin January 20, 2025

I stopped at a few birding spots this morning that would be either short walks or birding from the car as it was so cold. An American Bald Eagle gave distant views along the Fox River downtown Waukesha. I also thought I would check on a Northern Saw-whet Owl that I found about a month ago, it was present at the same location tucked away in a tree. It was a very cold day with temps around 3 degrees, some wind gusts, with mostly sunny skies. Images were taken on January 20, 2025.

The Northern Saw-whet Owl…

Distant shot of the American Bald Eagle on the Fox River in downtown Waukesha…