View allAll Photos Tagged grayghost
The raw and necessary nature of survival is critical for balancing the ecosystem but often a reminder of the fragility of life. Great Gray Owls play an integral part in stopping diseases from spreading, and controlling overpopulation of rodents.
Northern / Hen harrier ♂ blauwe kiekendief.
Fairly uncommon in my region, I photographed a female a few weeks ago about 2 km's from this location.
Gray Ghost
It's amazing to see how these harriers can be cruising along, stop on a dime and hover like this, then pounce on their prey.
Lawrenceville, NJ
Northern Harrier "Gray Ghost"
[Circus hudsonius]
I found it.....a quick car shot while it was on private property!
Great Gray Ghost of the North staring deeply right through me.... Kind of creepy...
Thanks for looking
We heard he was out here and we were thrilled to spot him at Myakka River State Park. My husbands hand and camera in the bokeh. The Harrier dipped a little bit too low, but I liked the pose!
Male Northern Harrier
The months can feel long but time does really go so fast. Today is Spring Equinox-time to archive the winter scenery and explore the next season.
The Great Gray Owl frequently uses farmer’s fence posts to survey their surroundings-this one had just landed before it glided silently to another area & then went into the open field to catch prey.
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.
During my stay at Skagit the owls were generally late risers. I read that they primarily hunt at night but they were regularly at work during the afternoons and sometimes later in the morning. One afternoon my friend JP and I stayed late and the action did pick up. No light but plenty of action. Female harriers, on the other hand, seemed always to be about. I believe that the areas I visited were the territories of specific female harriers with males passing through or staying for shorter periods of time. My uneducated impression is that the males have a larger territory that they patrol. If anyone has any insight feel free to chime in. (Always). During my short stay males were most active early in the morning and late in the afternoon. They didn't want to miss the poker game where lies and cigars were exchanged during daylight hours. They are affectionally known as "Gray Ghosts". (Northern Harrier - Circus hudsonius) (Sony a1ii, 800mm, f/8, 1/3200 second, ISO 1600).
A Gray Ghost, which is basically a Male Northern Harrier, just before he plunges into the deep marsh grass after it's prey. These birds are a common site this time of the year in the North east but generally keep there distance, not this particular individual though, who is confident and usually gives us close flybys.
Merry Christmas /Happy Holidays to my flickr friends!
Saw this Northern Harrier hunting the fields, Also known as "The Grey Ghost".
Thanks for looking.
Gray Ghost! (Male Northern Harrier). I went early this morning specifically to try and find this bird. I had photographed the female, but never the male. Thrilled to finally get him! This was at a bit of a distance, but I have many closer shots as he flew towards me, but I like the eye contact here! I had seen him on a perch in the middle of the field, and I waited about an hour for him to take flight.
Northern Male Harrier (Male). Went out pre-dawn with 2 friends to try and find this guy again - we did and had many views of him, but this was the only decent shot I got - he kept his distance up until the very last part of the visit. This was from early in the morning. We did walk 5 1/2 miles on our search!
A male northern harrier in flight at Circle B Bar Reserve, Lakeland, Florida, USA.
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Still at Pt. Reyes in 2019. There's nothing particularly exciting about this bird except it's impossibly elusive for me - the male Northern Harrier, affectionally dubbed the "gray ghost". I've seen several there at Pt. Reyes over a couple of fall visits, but they just tease, fly out of nowhere in front of the slow-moving car-blind, and do the disappearing act just as quickly. I was actually walking a trail when I saw this one WAY out there on a big shrub. By the time I decided it was indeed the elusive male harrier, it of course flew.
The “Gray Ghost” of the Meadowlands
A male Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) gliding low over the marsh in search of prey—one of NJ’s most unique raptors.
Seen one before?
#Birding #NewJersey #Wildlife #jamesfalletti
This bird was a great performer for me. Same bird I posted last week perching. He gave me multiple opportunities! Thanks for looking!
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