2307_0152 Double Leap
A Northern Harrier and a grasshopper simultaneously take to the air, as the "What's A Summer Without Critters?" set continues. Here's how it unfolded:
Almost two weeks earlier, in June, I had been attacked by a harrier about one kilometre from this spot. It swooped and dive-bombed me repeatedly, so it must have been protecting a nearby nest. I posted several photos of the incident. Fast forward to early July, and I was trying to photograph the wind - a vert difficult subject, to say the least. Suddenly there was a new sound, behind me at close range, a sort of rushing/flapping sound that caused me to instinctively duck, and sure enough, the Grey Ghost went zipping past my head, very close and very fast. Had to be the same bird!
It circled and made another pass, not as close - probably because it could see that I was aware - and then dropped to land on a hilltop, where it looked down at me, watching. At this point, instead of a quick retreat like I had done the other time, I decided to walk toward it to show that I wasn't afraid or intimidated. Maybe it would go away. Maybe I could get a shot as it took to the air.
And that's what happened: the harrier leaped into the air - the leaping grasshopper was an unexpected bonus - and instead of swooping at me again, it drifted on the breeze to a nearby field of sunflowers, where it hovered and dipped and dived in search of small rodents. Finally, boundaries established!
In all my years of wildlife photography, I have never been harassed like this by a raptor. But I know two other people in the area who had similar experiences this summer, perhaps with the same bird. Such boldness was amazing to encounter. Exciting, too!
Photographed near the boundary of Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
2307_0152 Double Leap
A Northern Harrier and a grasshopper simultaneously take to the air, as the "What's A Summer Without Critters?" set continues. Here's how it unfolded:
Almost two weeks earlier, in June, I had been attacked by a harrier about one kilometre from this spot. It swooped and dive-bombed me repeatedly, so it must have been protecting a nearby nest. I posted several photos of the incident. Fast forward to early July, and I was trying to photograph the wind - a vert difficult subject, to say the least. Suddenly there was a new sound, behind me at close range, a sort of rushing/flapping sound that caused me to instinctively duck, and sure enough, the Grey Ghost went zipping past my head, very close and very fast. Had to be the same bird!
It circled and made another pass, not as close - probably because it could see that I was aware - and then dropped to land on a hilltop, where it looked down at me, watching. At this point, instead of a quick retreat like I had done the other time, I decided to walk toward it to show that I wasn't afraid or intimidated. Maybe it would go away. Maybe I could get a shot as it took to the air.
And that's what happened: the harrier leaped into the air - the leaping grasshopper was an unexpected bonus - and instead of swooping at me again, it drifted on the breeze to a nearby field of sunflowers, where it hovered and dipped and dived in search of small rodents. Finally, boundaries established!
In all my years of wildlife photography, I have never been harassed like this by a raptor. But I know two other people in the area who had similar experiences this summer, perhaps with the same bird. Such boldness was amazing to encounter. Exciting, too!
Photographed near the boundary of Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.