The great grey owl, the largest owl in North America whose round, flat face, bright yellow eyes and silent flight conveys an unworldly appearance, touched down in Spokane County. And it isn’t normally ...

Question: Near Duluth last week, I saw a very large white owl by the side of the road. It looked like the owl from Harry Potter. What was it, and why haven’t I seen one like it before in Minnesota?

Backlit against the pastel-colored sky of a January evening, the silhouette atop the fencepost was arresting. Owl-like, sure, but too large to be a great-horned, round of head and with striking yellow ...