Winter Visitors

This winter falls on the fairly regular cycle for Great Gray Owl irruptions, and at the start of the winter I was hopeful we might be lucky enough to have some show up in Southern Canada. Several weeks ago I began seeing reports of them in Quebec and around Montreal, and so I figured I'd be heading there a time or two to find them. I also chatted with friends about checking out places along the St. Lawrence River since the owls follow the river south.

Then a report surfaced of a Great Gray in Tupper Lake during the late fall - extremely early for this species to show up - heightening my excitement that we might have some come south of the border. And so, when one was photographed at Robert Moses State Park in Massena, my reaction was a mix of excitement and that this was to be expected - it was just becoming a question of when.

And, while the owl was not again located by folks immediately after it had been found (my friend told me to save myself the trip until it was confirmed), there were already rumors of a second owl, as well as reports of Great Grays in Jefferson County.

And then, this past week the bird at Robert Moses was re-found, and I headed there the following day.

A Cold Day

The morning was clear and cold and I had not initially been planning on heading out - but there's nothing quite like a Great Gray Owl to make me change my plans. I had been waiting all winter for more reports of uncommon gulls along the river before driving up, but an owl like this proved to be too much for my patience.

That said, I still took a circuitous route to the park, heading via Malone on my way up. I wanted to poke around the farm fields in the area for birds and to see what gulls might be coming to the Franklin County Landfill. Yes, that's right, the landfill - birding sometimes takes us to places few others would go for pleasure.

Field birding just west of Malone was relatively slow with a few Red-tailed Hawks, some Horned Larks, and a handful of Wild Turkeys. So I headed to the landfill and was given permission to drive the short loop road through the facility. It too was quiet, with only a few gulls - my target group of birds - and no white-winged gulls. But with few gulls of interest being reported on the river of late I wasn't surprised. I did note a couple Red-tailed Hawks as well as a lingering Brown-headed Cowbird - a bit of an odd find during winter. As I was leaving the landfill I spotted a Rough-legged Hawk cruising overhead.

I had similar luck along both Mary Riley Road and Burns Holden Road near Fort Covington, but I then decided to skip Drum Street Road - a decision which would prove not to be my best. I wanted to get to Robert Moses to make sure I had time with the owl.

Finding the Owl

I drove the road where the Great Gray had been spotted and thought I'd head to the Hawkins Point Visitor Center before coming back to hike in search of it. But as I did, I bumped into a couple folks who had seen the owl not long before -- so I reversed course and we stopped along the road to see if it was still in view.

The owl had apparently moved, but I was unconcerned about it showing - they often stick consistently to an area as they hunt. Sure enough, as we stood there talking in the cold, the large gray form sailed through the trees and landed on an aspen. I grabbed my camera for some distant shots, and we all oohed and aahed at its immense beauty. Then we fell into conversation about the owl, owls, and birds as more and more people arrived.

The owl soon had a sizable audience, but seemed unaware of its own popularity. I snapped more photos, but after an hour or so I chose to follow my initial plan and head to the visitor's center - there were a lot of folks with the owl at that point, and I didn't want the commotion to pester it.

Other Birds in the Area

Hawkins Point was fairly quiet with scattered Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Common Mergansers, and Mallards. There were also a few Herring Gulls and quite a few Great Black-backed Gulls, and I spotted a Lesser Black-backed Gull with them, only to lose it when I went to get my scope from the car.

From there I drove the roads of the park for raptors, adding Red-tailed Hawk, American Tree Sparrows, and some more Wild Turkeys. The river near the marina was icing up and I couldn't spot the Iceland or Glaucous Gulls which my friend had noted a week earlier. The open lanes of water held distant ducks, but I chose to ignore them and head back to the owl. I had been away from it for too long already!

That fact was confirmed when I returned to the owl and found out that it had been hunting directly along the road when I was gone. Perhaps my poking around elsewhere was a poor choice - such is life in birding and photography. But even though it wasn't conducive for photos, I stood and watched with a friend as the owl hunted off the road. It was beautiful. I returned to Hawkins Point to view the gulls coming in to roost and I re-found the Lesser Black-backed. Wren and I went for an evening walk and we started the long ride home - happy.

The day following my visit, birders confirmed that there are at least two Great Gray Owls in the park - the one must have been hunting further back in the woods the day I was there and I hadn't given myself enough time to hike. They also found a couple Glaucous Gulls at Hawkins Point - not present on my visit.

In addition, friends of mine who aren't as familiar with the area called me to ask my advice regarding additional places to check out. I gave them a list of roads to drive in northern Franklin County as they snaked their way back to the Northway. They would find Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs, and Bohemian Waxwings, among other goodies.

Of more importance, one of those roads I mentioned was Drum Street Road, a road I had skipped on my trip in order to save time. They found a third Great Gray Owl there - meaning that there is at least one of these enchanting birds in northern Franklin County. And there could well be more. I'm going back!

Winter birding has been great this year in the North Country. Don't miss your chance to search for Great Gray Owls and other winter specialties, plus all of the other great winter activities. Plan your trip with our lodging and dining sites!