Manitoba Owls Trip Report (Mar 10 – 14, 2026)

Day 1 – March 10th

We met with the group in the lobby of the hotel and then walking over to Oak and Grain for a nice dinner where we got to know everyone and went over the plan for the trip.
Following dinner, we had a presentation from Jim Duncan and his Great Grey Owl Oska where he talked about his work with the species.

Day 2 – March 11th

The day started with a drive to the town of Oak Bluff where there had been reports of Snowy Owls from previous groups. As we left the town we spotted our first species of the trip, a pair of Grey Partridge’s. After some good looks we continued heading down some gravel roads.

Gray Partridge © Mitch Doucet

Along the gravel roads we observed many groups of Horned Larks and a got a short look at a Rough-legged Hawk before it took off. As we continued, we spotted our first Snowy Owl, an all-white ghost bird.

Snowy Owl © Mitch Doucet

We made our way back to Oak Bluff and over to Highway 330 where we got more looks at Grey Partridge and Horned Larks. A few miles after the town of La Salle we spotted our second Snowy Owl on the edge of a gravel road. Here everyone got great views of this immature bird before it flew up onto a telephone post.

Snowy Owl © Mitch Doucet

We made our way back towards Winnipeg stopping near Fort Whyte to observe a Bald Eagle nest. One Bald Eagle was seen perched in the surrounding area, but none were observed on the nest.
We then made our way over to St. Vital Park where we checked the roost of a Western Screech-Owl. With nobody home we continued to a nice indoor picknick area where we enjoyed lunch.
With our bellies full we moved on to Harris Park where a Barred Owl had been reported previously. With no success we tried calling in a Red-bellied Woodpecker. The woodpecker was heard responding multiple times, but nobody got any views of it.
From Harris Park we drove to the north end of the city and made a visit to see a pair of nesting Great Horned Owls along Bunn’s Creek. The female was on the nest and downy feathers of the chicks were seen underneath her with some briefly seeing one of the chicks. The male was seen in a surrounding tree keeping an eye on everyone. Both before and after observing the Great Horned Owls everyone got good looks at a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers at the beginning of the trail.

Great Horned Owl © Mitch Doucet

Pileated Woodpecker © Bob Bramley

From here we made a quick stop at Fraser’s Grove and Assiniboine Park for there respective owls. With no luck we made our way back to the hotel and enjoyed dinner at Chicago Joe’s.

Day 3 – March 12th

After breakfast, we started our birding along highway 317, where we got our target specie for the day, a Northern Hawk Owl. The same bird seen on earlier tours; this owl was sitting on an exposed log providing great views.

Northern Hawk Owl © Amanda Dumont

Moving on we drove through Lac du Bonnet and over to Henry Bellin Road from some feeders. Here we got good looks at Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Grosbeaks, Black-capped Chickadees, Redpolls (both hoary and common), Blue Jays, and Sharp-tailed Grouse.

Pine Grosbeck © Amanda Dumont

We continued back to where we saw the Northern Hawk Owl getting more looks at it before driving up Maple Creek Road. Our next stop were feeders in the town of Silver Falls where we got more views of Evening Grosbeaks and a Red-breasted Nuthatch. A stop at some open water near Powerview provided a Common Goldeneye and later a pair of Bald Eagles.
After lunch we made our way up Maskwa Road and continued south to Lac du Bonnet where we drove up Wendigo Road. After a quiet afternoon we made our way back to the city ending the day with dinner at the Tavern.

Day 4 – March 13th

After some talking with the group the previous night, we decided to switch up the plan for the last day and stay around the city.
After a later start and breakfast, we made our way back to Oak Bluff area in hopes to find a Snowy Owl. After much searching we were unsuccessful, but we continued to have numerous sightings of Horned Larks.

Horned Lark © Mitch Doucet

We then made our way to Fort Whyte where we spent the rest of the morning walking the trails and watching the feeders. An open bit of water on one of the lakes provided a high count of 16 Canada Geese. After a brisk walk everyone enjoyed a lunch at the Buffalo Café.
After lunch we drove north of the city to Oak Hammock Marsh. Along the way we spotted our first group of Snow Buntings as they continued to be flushed from the side of the road where they were eating.

Snow Buntings © Mitch Doucet

We spent a couple of hours at the interpretive center at Oak Hammock Marsh learning about the work they do and enjoying the views of the marsh. A set of feeders provided looks at many Redpolls and two female Red-winged Blackbirds.

With the trip coming to an end, we made our way back to the city. Along the way we got a tip that the Northern Saw-whet Owl we had tried for previously was being seen in the park. With an excited group we made our way to Assiniboine Park where we finished the day with everyone getting to see the Owl.