(©Jean Hall)

Yes, it’s the middle of summer, and a lot of the country is hot as a frying pan. But winter (and snowy owl season) isn’t that far away — and again this year, we’re offering a way to see some of that season’s most majestic raptors while supporting Project SNOWstorm.

We’ll again be partnering with Destination: Wildlife, which specializes in ecotour trips that benefit conservation nonprofits, to offer two winter excursions in early 2025: A six-day, five-night tour of northern Minnesota looking for northern specialties like spruce grouse, Bohemian waxwings, red and white-winged crossbills, pine and evening grosbeak, boreal chickadees — and owls, including great gray, boreal and northern hawk-owls…and perhaps a snowy or two, depending on this winter’s flight. That trip is Jan. 5-10, 2025, departing from Minneapolis and exploring much of northern Minnesota and the Lake Superior shoreline.

The second trip, Feb. 13-17, will focus on eastern Lake Ontario in northern New York State and southern Ontario. The exact itinerary will depend on where the birds are, but should include Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, the Cape Vincent region of New York, and Amherst Island on the Ontario side of the border. (Travelers will be required to have a valid passport.) I’ll be joining the fun on this trip myself, watching for winter raptors like bald eagles, short-eared owls, northern harriers, rough-legged hawks and northern shrikes — and, of course, keeping our fingers crossed that it’s a good flight year for snowy owls, too.

Both trips are limited to eight participants. Please note that these are not primarily photography trips, and it goes without saying that we will not bait, flush or disturb any of the birds we see. Best of all, in both cases $500 of each participant’s fee is a tax-deductible contribution to Project SNOWstorm, so you can have fun while supporting the research work we do here.

You can find more information, and register, here. We hope to see you in the field.