Whenever there’s a Northern Saw-whet Owl nearby, my “birdy senses” start to tingle. At least that’s how my husband describes it. Not that I have superpowers—my secret is that I’m always searching. My ratio of looking for a saw-whet versus actually seeing one is good, but not amazing. For example, I checked three local parks in a week that should have them and didn’t spot any. Then I went to a meeting on the west end of Minneapolis and noticed one snoozing right outside of the building. At about three ounces and eight inches, Northern Saw-whet Owls are one of the tiniest raptors in the United States. The cavity-dwelling birds often rely on old Northern Flicker and Pileated Woodpecker homes, swapping out their nest sites every year. In the colder months, they tend to be found in anything with good cover, mostly conifers but a thick tangle of shrubs like buckthorn will work, too. You’d think this would make them tough to find, but they’re surprisingly...