Less Hooting In Bog As Owls Stay North

Sax-Zim Bog still popular, even if not as many owls coming south for the winter.

The mild winter we’re having has been a mixed bag for a certain group of outdoor enthusiasts.

Between Duluth and the Iron Range is the Sax-Zim Bog. It’s a popular hangout for both humans and critters that like the woods, water and sky.

Perhaps best-known for its owls, the bog is actually home to a cross section of bird life. While the mild weather has made it more comfortable for people that make the trek, the owls that normally consider this a southern winter getaway have decided to stay-put up north.

“It has definitely been less sightings. Because the cold and snow has not been as intense this year, a lot of animals are staying closer to their home range, and they’re not migrating down,” said local photographer Amber Nichols, who visited the bog on Thursday, and has made several trips this winter.

“On a normal winter we might see four to five different great gray owls, and it’s pretty much just the resident owls that live here year-round. There’s usually snowies that come down the last couple years, and we haven’t seen any this year. And there’s also a lot more northern hawk or the bard owls, and there have been very few. So I think the less winter is definitely affecting the area,” said Nichols.

Although winged creatures may be the bog’s biggest attraction, other wildlife includes muskrats, pine martens, turkeys and the occasional wolf or moose.