View allAll Photos Tagged grayghost
this was taken in a more hospitable season..........at this moment (4:50am) it's -28ËšC with a windchill of -37ËšC and that's nothing cause the mercury is still falling............March, eh?
Gray ghost surprise!!
It's always good to wash your fruit in the morning. You may ask...."But why?".....The answer...because it means you're facing your big sliding glass doors and might spot something wonderful out in the open space behind your house. That's exactly what happened. I saw a hawk come swooping in and land right behind my fence. I assumed it was our resident red-tailed hawk.....but when I went over to look...it was flying away from me and I could see it had a white patch on top of it's tail which could only mean a Northern Harrier. However, what I didn't expect was that it was a MALE harrier or as many call it a Grey ghost!!! We have never seen a male harrier hunting behind our house. I made some inaudible sounds with my excitement.....grabbed my camera and bolted out of the back door. I really didn't expect it to hang around very long, and it didn't. It flew out of sight, but then back in sight, and then repeated this numerous times. Finally he started making some circles and made a few passes right in front of me. He also managed to fly with some very nice fall colors behind him in the distance. I will have a few more to share, but here are some of my favorites.
Nikon Z9 with Nikkor 180-600mm F5.6-6.3 lens at 600mm, 1/1600sec, F8, various ISO's from 360 to 720, handheld and cropped. (Please view images large for best details) Nov 16 2024 Northern Colorado
I rarely see male Northern Harriers on the Sumas Prairie, so this is likely the same bird I saw last month.
An adult male Northern Harrier shoots me a look while searching for a meal at the Prince George Airport.
This female Northern Harrier was taking a rest brake after coursing through part of Steigerwald wildlife refuge.
Adult male is strikingly white below with black wing tips and a black trailing edge on the secondaries. Upperside is gray with faint, pale mottling on upperwing coverts, but appears uniform grayish. Birds in spring are paler above due to fading. Some males are washed rufous on the chest and leggings, and/or brownish on the head and upperwing coverts. All adult males have lemon-yellow eyes.
My daughter, Meg's, Weimaraner. She came from Weimaraner Rescue in Michigan three years ago, and is a lovely girl
The Weimaraner
Northern Harrier ,this beauty buzzed me so close that he filled my frame at 500 mm. I was surprised as he came from behind as i turned there he was. Stay tuned for more of this beauty.
Best View Large
"Have a Great Day"
Northern Harrier of Mercer
The Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) also known as the Hen Harrier is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost USA, and in northern Eurasia. This species is polytypic, with two subspecies. Marsh Hawk is a historical name for the American form.
It migrates to more southerly areas in winter. Eurasian birds move to southern Europe and southern temperate Asia, and American breeders to the southernmost USA, Mexico, and Central America. In the mildest regions, such as France, Great Britain, and the southern US, Northern Harrier may be present all year, but the higher ground is largely deserted in winter.
Harriers have an owl-like face. The concave facial disk and relatively large off-set ears enable the bird to use triangulation of sound to help locate prey such as mice, voles, juvenile rabbits, frogs, pheasant chick, and other birds in dense vegetation. The female Harrier is larger than the male; hence, the female takes larger prey than the male.
For more info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hen_harrier
I don't feel like writing a story about how insane this is so I won't. Those that appreciate will appreciate.
CEFX 3109 and CITX 3089, both probably the last all gray leasers running on a Class 1, lead CP 385 (Bensenville-Glenwood) through my old stomping grounds a few minutes after sunrise. It couldn't get more gray, save that Canada hopper, if one tried. Pretty damn cool, thankfully the WC was in town putting their Commercials away which stalled these guys long enough to knock the ISO down and give me a decent opportunity.
....when the moment has been waiting all the time....
On the far right is the 'down arrow'- click on that to open 'original' size... click 'open' on original size and then hit F11 on keyboard for full screen effect...
Gray ghost surprise!!
It's always good to wash your fruit in the morning. You may ask...."But why?".....The answer...because it means you're facing your big sliding glass doors and might spot something wonderful out in the open space behind your house. That's exactly what happened. I saw a hawk come swooping in and land right behind my fence. I assumed it was our resident red-tailed hawk.....but when I went over to look...it was flying away from me and I could see it had a white patch on top of it's tail which could only mean a Northern Harrier. However, what I didn't expect was that it was a MALE harrier or as many call it a Grey ghost!!! We have never seen a male harrier hunting behind our house. I made some inaudible sounds with my excitement.....grabbed my camera and bolted out of the back door. I really didn't expect it to hang around very long, and it didn't. It flew out of sight, but then back in sight, and then repeated this numerous times. Finally he started making some circles and made a few passes right in front of me. He also managed to fly with some very nice fall colors behind him in the distance. I will have a few more to share, but here are some of my favorites.
Nikon Z9 with Nikkor 180-600mm F5.6-6.3 lens at 600mm, 1/1600sec, F8, various ISO's from 360 to 720, handheld and cropped. (Please view images large for best details) Nov 16 2024 Northern Colorado