DULUTH — Driving along Haines Road on April 3, I noticed a great gray owl sitting in the snow. Great gray owls are creatures of the boreal forest and only occasionally are found this far south.

Great gray owls are uncommon in Minnesota, says the DNR website (www.dnr.state.mn.us/birds/greatgrayowl), and are not abundant elsewhere. “The most likely spot to find them is in northern Minnesota, ...