Northern Hawk Owl Sightings Near Houghton, Michigan: Rare Double Owl Encounter Documented

An Uncommon Visitor After the Christmas Bird Count

Since the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) that took place in mid-December 2024, a rare visitor has been spending time near my home in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula: the Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula). This species—abbreviated as “NHOW” by birders—is almost never seen this far south. When a friend of mine first reported seeing not one, but two Northern Hawk Owls near the same location, it sparked skepticism in the local birding community.

Why Northern Hawk Owls Are Rare in the Keweenaw

Northern Hawk Owls typically remain in boreal forests far north of Michigan. They only reach the Upper Peninsula during major 'irruption years'—occasional large-scale movements caused by food shortages. Even during those years, many raptors detour around Lake Superior, opting for more accessible areas in northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, or eastern Michigan. For two NHOWs to appear in the Keweenaw is nearly unheard of.

Eyewitness Accounts and Skepticism

Despite multiple sightings and photographic documentation, many in the birding community continued to express disbelief about the presence of two birds in close proximity to each other. This type of skepticism—often unfounded—frustrated those of us who had observed the birds firsthand. I even created a series of four images, switching rapidly between the two birds to demonstrate they were perched in different trees and locations, but some birders still demanded a single frame with both owls.

Could These Northern Hawk Owls Be Breeding?

The story took an even more exciting turn when one of the owls landed in a tree above my truck and began to sing. This vocalization could be a sign of breeding behavior, a potentially rare and historic event for Michigan. The only known attempt of NHOWs breeding in Michigan was documented on Isle Royale, much closer to their native range. If these owls are setting up territory in the Keweenaw, it could be a groundbreaking development.

Listen to the Call

The call that I was able to record begins with a series of 'bouncing notes' about four seconds into the recording. Another bout, arguably clearer, happens around the 50-second mark. Accompanying species in the recording include Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and Bohemian Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus), adding natural ambiance to the experience.

Obviously, it takes, both, a male and a female to make a breeding pair. So, just because one bird is singing doesn’t mean it will find a mate. The other individual might be the same sex, for instance. For this species, both sexes sing - so, we can’t even really tell if this singing individual is male or female.

Join Me for a Guided Bird Photography Experience

If you’d like to see rare birds like the Northern Hawk Owl and improve your photography skills in the process, consider booking a guided experience with me. I offer wildlife photography sessions and educational tours (https://www.teoliver.com/excursions-and-workshops) throughout the Keweenaw Peninsula. Whether you’re interested in winter raptors, boreal species, or storytelling through images, I can help you find, photograph, and learn about these incredible creatures.

A Rare Winter Worth Watching

This winter has been extraordinary—not just for these particular owls, but for all arctic and subarctic species that have arrived in the region. Snowy Owls, Great Gray Owls, Short-eared Owls, and more have been seen throughout the Great Lakes. It’s a perfect time to be outside with your camera and your curiosity. Join me - and let’s explore it together.

[Side Note: Although the date for this post is accurate for when this all occurred, I have actually delayed publishing it to my website and back-dated the post. I did this to fall in line with my desire to not release information too quickly because I value protecting the species I photograph. Releasing the information about the hawk-owl singing could have caused situations which would stress the bird unnecessarily].

Winter Wildlife Photography in Michigan’s Keweenaw: Coyote Sighting Near Eagle Harbor

The other day I led an excursion organized by Visit Keweenaw (our regional destination marketing organization) for some members of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. On this particular excursion, I was showing some of the people the beautiful winter landscapes we get in the Keweenaw. On snowshoes, we explored the area around Hungarian Falls. The snow filled forest and vista overlooking Torch Lake were breathtaking - although the falls, due to it being the middle of February were completely frozen over and snow-covered.

After that I took them along the northern coast of the peninsula so they could see some of the lakescapes where more rugged terrain interfaces with Lake Superior. We explored the area around the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse, ventured up to Esrey Park, and then returned back to Houghton. As we were passing though Eagle Harbor on the return trip, one of my passengers pointed out a coyote that was right at the edge of the lake along the road. It was in a position that was difficult to see from where we were at; so, I continued around the corner to where we could get a better view of the animal. In that very short period of time (about 40 seconds) it had amazingly moved quite a long distance across the ice as it was making its way north east across the harbor.

I got out of the truck to start taking pictures across the hood with my 60-600mm lens. My clients decided to simply stay in the vehicle with the windows down to take their pictures. A couple passing vehicles slowed down to take a look at what I was focused on but then continued on their way.

The falling snow was obscuring the view of the coyote and as a result most of the shots I took of it were soft and blurry - but a couple pictures turned out quite nice with the coyote enveloped in all the white of its surroundings.

Seeing coyotes (and sometimes wolves) travelling on the ice is not uncommon for people who live near Lake Superior’s shore. The dogs take advantage of the easy movement they have on the ice. They patrol the shorelines looking for prey, move between tributaries where they can scavenge and hunt, and venture out on the big lake in search of mates. Given that January through March is their breeding season, it’s entirely possible that this one may have been out looking for a mate…but, given that we initially had seen in scrounging among the uneven snow and ice of the shoreline it seemed fairly obvious it was looking for food. Our presence when we first saw it likely just convinced it to move to another location with fewer people.

If you are interested in personal guided hikes or photography sessions, let me know by filling out the form located on this page. I’ll send you more details and we can work out a schedule.

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel

This is not a Chipmunk, chipmunks have dark stripes on their head and face.

Named after the golden-colored fur around its shoulders, as if it were wearing a shawl, the Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis) is a common resident throughout the Rocky Mountains at elevations between 5,000 and 11,000 feet above sea level. Right now, they are getting ready for their long hibernation and this one was searching among fallen pine trees for cones and seeds.

A hasty escape

This Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) did not like the idea of me having my coffee on teh deck of our cabin along Lake Au Train.

There is nothing quite like the feeling of having a fresh cup of coffee, in the early morning sun rising straight out in front of our deck. Many days the ducks, geese, and herons simply make their way into the cove (which is only about 50 feet from the edge of our deck), while we are sitting out greeting the new morning. However, today, this goose had arrived earlier than we did and it didn’t like our sudden intrusion of its space. Shortly thereafter, though the regular entourage of birds gathered in front of our place.

Please don’t feed ducks and geese. It unnecessarily habituates them to humans and such actions can actually be dangerous for the birds (especially when people feed them bread). Bread is nutritionally lacking for ducks and geese and, since it quickly fills their stomachs, they avoid eating healthier, naturally-occurring foods they normally rely upon.

Early Morning River Crossing

Each year, when Kay and I are back home for the summer, we always make sure to take at least one day where we get up early and haul our Wilderness Systems tandem kayak down to the Au Train River access in order to float down the river before “the amateurs” wake up and get out on the water. The Au Train River is a popular canoeing and kayaking destination and because it is a shallow, slow moving body of water, it attracts a large number of people who are somewhat inexperienced paddlers and are often very loud making it very hard to see wildlife. Every time we we are able to be the first people paddling down the river for the day, we are able to truly experience the tranquility of the river and we have always been able to have some amazing encounters with wildlife.

This year we had a beaver rise up immediately next to the kayak and swim along with us. I didn’t want to make any sudden movements and startle it, so I wasn’t able to put down my paddle to grab my camera - so, there was no chance to get a picture . However, it swam next to us, within touching distance for well over fifty yards.

This doe white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and its two fawns entered the river about about 75 yards in front of us and proceeded to make their way across. We stopped paddling and simply let the flow of water drift us toward them, while I was able to get this picture of their beautiful summer coats contrasted agains the lush greens of the mid-summer vegetation.

Sika Deer - Hokkaido

Whenever I plan on photographing with a specific goal, I always have something really great happen that was completely unexpected. In this case, I was at this location to shoot Japanese Red-crowned Cranes (Grus japonensis) While I was there, I became somewhat disenchanted with taking pictures of a ton of really big birds that were, for the most part, just standing around. One of the people that took us to the location pulled me aside and told me we should set up our cameras in a particular spot so we could get pictures of the cranes as they started to leave for their roosts as the sun began setting. I decided to practice shooting birds in flight, trying to get different effects of motion blur, either of the subject or the background, while I was waiting for the cranes. I took shots of ducks, swans, hawks, and eagles. At one moment, I looked across the field to see this male Sika Deer (Cervus nippon) moving through the brush. It stepped out into the light of the setting sun, paused, and looked straight at me. It was at that spot for 3-4 seconds, tops. Then it began running to find some more cover. However, that 3-4 seconds was enough for me to get this picture. It amazes me how often the concepts my Dad taught me, when I was a child, about hunting, now apply to a successful photo outing...practice, planning, patience, and pliability (adaptability).

Sunrise on the Setsuri

We took a trip to Hokkaido, Japan to see wintertime courtship displays of Japanese Red-crowned Cranes, known in Japan as "Tancho" (Grus japonensis). Tancho are an endangered species, having only about 2800 individuals living in the wild, with about half surviving in Japan. While we were on the island of Hokkaido, we stayed at the Hickory Wind Wilderness Lodge, operated by Makoto Ando (a certified guide, professional photographer, and accomplished blues guitarist), his wife, Shinobu (a Master Chef), and their assistant, Kenta Mori. Our first morning we were out the door early and greeted with a beautiful (and very brisk) sunrise to introduce us to the Tancho. This picture was taken at a nighttime roost in the Setsuri River just downstream from the Otowa-bashi Bridge.