Manitoba Owl Trip Report (Feb 27 – Mar 3, 2026)

Day 1 – February 27th

We met with the group and went over the plan for the trip; we quickly got acquainted over dinner. Following dinner, we had a presentation from Jim Duncan about his work with Great Grey Owls, and were joined by his educational bird, Oska.

Day 2 – February 28th

A cold start to the next couple day’s birding, we headed south of the city to spot our first group of Gray Partridges. Just a few 100 meters further we spotted our first Snowy Owl. It didn’t take long to find one, a nice juvenile perched on top of a hydro pole.

Gray Partridge © Mitch Doucet

Snowy Owl © Jose Miguel Ordax

After a quick rest stop, we were off to find some more. We were fairly quickly rewarded with a second Snowy, as well as a handful of Horned Larks along the way. Our next stop was a Bald Eagle pair who have built a large nest in an industrial park in south Winnipeg. This pair is fairly close to a parking lot and is clearly used to people checking them out! We followed up with a lunch stop, where the local Pokémon Go players graciously allowed us a few tables to use amid their tournament. A nice combination for younger members of the group, birding, great food, and games!

We then checked a nearby roosting spot for an Eastern Screech-Owl, as well as nearby Harris Park for a Barred Owl. We had no luck with either owl, but we were successful in finding a Red-bellied Woodpecker in Harris Park and a flock of Bohemian Waxwing and a Sharp-shinned Hawk nearby!

Bohemian Waxwing © Mitch Doucet

Sharp-shinned Hawk © Jose Miguel Ordax

We then made our way over to Bunn’s Creek to have a look at a nesting pair of Great Horned Owls. A local family joined us, and we were able give some of their youngsters their first taste of birding as they stared in awe of the male Great Horned keeping watch over the nesting area. The female, at this point likely keeping young owlets warm, slept peacefully on the nest nearby.

Great Horned Owl © Mitch Doucet

Great Horned Owl © Jose Miguel Ordax

Day 3 – March 1st

After filling up on breakfast, we made our way up towards the boreal. Stopping along the highway, we managed to spot our first Northern Hawk Owl, hunting along a cleared section of forest with some smoldering brush piles. We made our way up Maple Creek Road towards Silver Falls, picking up some common farm birds along the way, European Starlings, House Sparrows, and Rock Pigeons. Native species were also present, with Blue Jays, Pine Grosbeaks, and Black-billed Magpies making appearances.

Northern Hawk Owl © Mitch Doucet

Arriving in Silver Falls, we made a brief stop at some feeders, where we were also see many Evening Grosbeaks, as well as Black-capped Chickadee and White-breasted Nuthatch.

Evening Grosbeak © Jose Miguel Ordax

A pass down Maskwa Road in Powerview, occasionally a spot to pick up Boreal Chickadee, was unsuccessful, but on the way to lunch we were able to spot a North American River Otter hunting in the outflow of the dam.

After lunch we headed back south to Lac du Bonnet, and up Wendigo Road. Here we got eyes on 5 different Northern Hawk Owls! One owl, perched on an exposed spruce in the middle of a field adjacent to a section of burned forest, attracted the attention of a Black-backed Woodpecker. The woodpecker flew circles around the owl excitedly in an attempt to drive it off, to no avail. The owl simply did not even acknowledge the woodpecker’s presence.

Black-backed Woodpecker © Mitch Doucet

We closed off our birding for the day with a brief stop at some feeders in Lac du Bonnet, where we were able to see a pair of Pine Siskins, a smattering of Redpolls, and a couple Pine Grosbeaks.

Redpoll © Mitch Doucet

Day 4 – March 2nd

Our last birding day started off in the Oak Hammock Marsh region. Unfortunately, recent weather conditions made a good handful of the roads impassable due to large drifts. We were able to locate a dozen Sharp-tailed Grouse nearby and a Cottontail Rabbit.

We then made our way up towards Gimli. Along the way, we checked out a few marshy areas in hopes of picking up a Rough-legged Hawk or Northern Shrike. In Gimli we enjoyed a hearty lunch – more than we could eat! Making our way towards Hecla Island, we had brief views of some of the more common species. An Emu made a surprise cameo while passing a small hobby farm, though it wasn’t countable. Once on the island, we were treated to many good views of Black-billed Magpie and Common Raven, as well as several confiding Bald Eagles. The real icing on the cake was when we managed to observe a Boreal Chickadee, mixed in with numerous Black-capped Chickadees.