Harrier hen on Bronx's Stump - 3
(Circus cyaneus) in bright late afternoon sun....
I am retracting the following comment (I suspect that this lady is the same bird that gave me so many good looks as a juvenile a year ago in the same area. Now she's all grown up and a lot more confident around photographers....) after Peter Berglin's comment below made me rethink and reevaluate. He's right! In fact, I had the juvenile-adult plumage ID reversed. The buffy breasted Harrier is the juvenile and the striped breasted bird is the adult. OMG! Live and learn!!
"Males are gray above and whitish below with black wingtips, a dark trailing edge to the wing, and a black-banded tail. Females and immatures are brown, with black bands on the tail. Adult females have whitish undersides with brown streaks, whereas immatures are buffy, with less streaking. All Northern Harriers have a white rump patch that is obvious in flight." —Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Harrier hen on Bronx's Stump - 3
(Circus cyaneus) in bright late afternoon sun....
I am retracting the following comment (I suspect that this lady is the same bird that gave me so many good looks as a juvenile a year ago in the same area. Now she's all grown up and a lot more confident around photographers....) after Peter Berglin's comment below made me rethink and reevaluate. He's right! In fact, I had the juvenile-adult plumage ID reversed. The buffy breasted Harrier is the juvenile and the striped breasted bird is the adult. OMG! Live and learn!!
"Males are gray above and whitish below with black wingtips, a dark trailing edge to the wing, and a black-banded tail. Females and immatures are brown, with black bands on the tail. Adult females have whitish undersides with brown streaks, whereas immatures are buffy, with less streaking. All Northern Harriers have a white rump patch that is obvious in flight." —Cornell Lab of Ornithology