2305_4848 Harassing the Harrier
So there I was, walking a faint trail next to the soggy terrain of an extensive cattail marsh... when a male Northern Harrier exploded from the grass! The "Grey Ghost" may have been on a kill, or resting after its meal; I have no idea. After the initial startle response, I whipped the camera to my eye and found it in the viewfinder just as a couple of Red-winged Blackbirds swooped in to harass the raptor with their patented dive-bombing routine. It was a lovely aerial show. Most of my shots were out of focus.
But the harrier kept circling, the blackbirds kept diving, and I got lucky with a couple of frames. In some of the missed shots, the harrier was full frame or so close that it overlapped both frame edges. A very cool moment for me, because I was on foot, not hiding in the rolling red Toyota blind. It's a different, more involving experience.
An hour before this, I had talked briefly with a knowledgeable local fellow who asked me, "What's the highlight of your day so far?" I had to admit that I didn't have one. It had been a slow morning. The Grey Ghost changed all that!
Note: The Northern Harrier used to be known as "Marsh Hawk" in North America, so perhaps I should not have been too surprised to find one in this particular habitat...
Photographed at Frank Lake, Alberta (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
2305_4848 Harassing the Harrier
So there I was, walking a faint trail next to the soggy terrain of an extensive cattail marsh... when a male Northern Harrier exploded from the grass! The "Grey Ghost" may have been on a kill, or resting after its meal; I have no idea. After the initial startle response, I whipped the camera to my eye and found it in the viewfinder just as a couple of Red-winged Blackbirds swooped in to harass the raptor with their patented dive-bombing routine. It was a lovely aerial show. Most of my shots were out of focus.
But the harrier kept circling, the blackbirds kept diving, and I got lucky with a couple of frames. In some of the missed shots, the harrier was full frame or so close that it overlapped both frame edges. A very cool moment for me, because I was on foot, not hiding in the rolling red Toyota blind. It's a different, more involving experience.
An hour before this, I had talked briefly with a knowledgeable local fellow who asked me, "What's the highlight of your day so far?" I had to admit that I didn't have one. It had been a slow morning. The Grey Ghost changed all that!
Note: The Northern Harrier used to be known as "Marsh Hawk" in North America, so perhaps I should not have been too surprised to find one in this particular habitat...
Photographed at Frank Lake, Alberta (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.