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Male Northern Harrier, a/k/a a "Gray Ghost," taken November 14, 2021, at Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge in Annada, Missouri.
© All rights reserved - - No Usage Allowed in Any Form Without the Written Consent of the photographer, Mark S. Schuver.
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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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My Website: www.MitchVanbeekum.com
I posted an image of this beautiful Harrier back in February. That images was with the wings on the up position. Which do you prefer?
I'm eager for the Harriers to return this winter.
A Gray Ghost hunting the fields of Morgan County, Georgia. They only visit Georgia in the winter months, so it is a treat to see them.
I tried for multiple mornings to get a good set of images of the male Northern Harrier hunting.
The first day I went out there, I located the nest sight and the hunting field. The next morning I finally put my camo lenshide to good use.
The results turned out too good to be true as I got few extremely close by flying images. He was so close that 80% of the frames had clipped wings. Got him hovering and scratching his face.
However, he was never successful to catch anything close to my hiding spot. There were plenty of prey around as I saw them running here and there.
I tried next many mornings but neither the weather nor the raptors worked out in my favor. Saw plenty of food delivery, hunting, etc; but none materialized in a good image.
Now the five chicks have fledged and left the nest area, so I have to wait for next year to try my luck once again.
This is the same Grey Ghost as in yesterday's post. It kept wheeling in the sky as it climbed higher and higher, circling, eventually shaking off the blackbird, but keeping an eye on me the entire time.
I upscaled this image slightly in ON1 Resize, which allowed a tighter crop while holding detail. I only upload lo-res images to Flickr, ie. 72 ppi, usually sized at a couple thousand pixels on the long side. Computer monitors can't "read" 300 ppi, so there is no point in uploading hi-res images. They'll look the same as lo-res.
But I want any uploaded pic to be available in hi-res quality exactly as seen here, if a client comes calling. That's where ON1 Resize comes in: it allows me to crop significantly while keeping an identically-cropped version at 300 ppi in my files. In this case the hi-res version is about 11x17 inches - ie. suitable for most "professional" uses.
And that's why Resize has been a game changer for me. It's a great little application. (And no, they did not solicit a free plug from me, LOL.)
Now, the proliferation of digital images in the world - beyond saturation, it has become a glut, a landslide of photos, most of them not very good - has changed the freelance game a lot over the past two decades or so. It's harder to sell photos when so many are happy to give them away just to see their names in print. I saw the writing on the wall a long time ago and was able to incorporate writing and teaching into my offerings, and that kept me afloat. But once in a while lightning strikes. Just over a decade ago, I received an offer from a client to license one of my photos that they found on Flickr for a two year period. The proposed fee? $12,000.
No, I didn't try to negotiate a higher payment. Sometimes it's okay to just be happy with what is offered. Will lightning strike twice? Not likely, but I'm open to the possibility :-)
One more photo to come from this location, and then some new material from closer to home. Tomorrow's shot is a little unusual, I think, so stay tuned...
Photographed at Frank Lake, near High River, Alberta (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
While working against the wind, I watched this beautiful male Northern Harrier (aka Gray Ghost) maneuver about over the hillside. Happy the wind brought him a bit closer to me than typical so he could check me out, and visa versa.
San Luis Obispo, CA.
An adult male northern harrier, aka the Gray Ghost, in a wetland in Florida. Hopefully he'll stay in this spot for the winter.
Thanks for your faves and comments. If you're interested in purchasing this image, go to www.schockenphotography.com.
KCSM 4567 & KCS 4683 lead IAIS train XNTSW (KCS grain shuttle) as they blast past Iris Ave just east of Newton, IA. Taken on the IAIS Newton Subdivision on 4/1/21.
He was partially obstructed by these branches as he flew towards us, and the focus was not ideal, but I liked his stare!
A male northern harrier, aka the Gray Ghost, flies in my direction giving me a great photo opportunity.
Thanks for your faves and comments.
Prints of my photography are available at www.schockenphotography.com. If you don't see an image you're interested in on the website, send me a Flickr mail and I'll put it up.
How can I not post this beautiful bird again? This is a male Northern Harrier nicknamed The Gray Ghost. Isn't he beautiful?
I was not well prepared to see this male Northern Harrier working low in a field. I was in my truck and knew getting out and setting up the tripod would lose precious time and likely move the bird on, so I pulled over, shot handheld thru the window. I remembered to shut the engine off, but didn't change the exposure compensation nor ramp up the ISO. Seeing a ghost may have that effect on you. Kicking myself a bit, but these are the best 'gray ghost' images I've managed by far to date.
I thought this shot was a little different from the "norm". I've got a whole series of shots where this bird was flying by looking straight at my camera. He couldn't keep his eyes off of me! Thanks for looking!
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My Website: www.MitchVanbeekum.com
I have seen a pair of Northern Harriers two or three times recently in the same place - they probably have a nest nearby. This is the male, the "Grey Ghost", taking off from a field. When I spotted him on the ground I thought he might have a rodent, but evidently he was just resting. I had time to stop the car, raise my camera, and at that instant he took off; I fired a burst, of which this is the first (and best) shot.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2020 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Here would be the Northern Harrier male, often referred to as the Gray Ghost.
From Audubon: "Across North America, from the Arctic Tundra to the grasslands south of the border, if you look in the right places, you’ll find peculiar creatures haunting the landscape. First they'll come into view over a distant marsh or meadow, steel gray with glowing yellow eyes. Then they’ll drift slowly across the land, silently stalking their prey. In short, they're pretty unsettling, but these “gray ghosts,” as they’re known, aren't visitors from the other side. They're Northern Harriers—adult male Northern Harriers, to be specific—and not only are they our spookiest hawks, but they may also be our most unusual."
And that's the way it was. Actually, during my 2018 Fall trip to Pt. Reyes National Seashore, I saw the "Gray Ghost" several times, soaring, fly-bys, and just perched on the low growth. I might add, for some reason, any perched harrier manages for me to be backlit, with no chance at my getting to the "other side". This beautiful guy was no exception.
On my girlfriend and I's 2.5 hour day trip, we were passing through Jacksonville and over the KCS branch that runs up that way. What do you know, the local was backing some cars around the loop at Bartlett Grain! We diverted from the interstate and I scoped out some spots not too far off the path. With my mid-range lens being out of commission, I had to really think on spots. I also didn't know what track speed was (40?) and it ended up sneaking up on me at Woodson! I'll know that for next time.
Anyways, a pair of KCS "Gray Ghost" GP38-2s were on the head end of this train, hence the title "Haunted Woodson." It is always a treat seeing these bruised and battered grays as KCS turns to the "Belle" scheme as their norm. The crew also had their AC on full blast (wide open door and windows) since it was a nice and humid day as this area reached a 100+ heat index.
© All Rights Reserved. No reproduction/usage without written permission from kiasrkid.
This is the one to use no funkiness in upload.
Winter is beginning to arrive, at least in Golden where we spent our Thanksgiving holidays this year. It wasn't much ... but it was just enough to get me thinking about raptors. My favorite time to photograph raptors is in the winter and at the top of my list is the northern harrier ... specifically the male harrier ... aka the "gray ghost". I simply find them to be so amazing. Graceful in flight and efficient in their hunting, not to mention the challenge in capturing them as they glide by. See, when you spot a northern harrier and set up to photograph them, they have this uncanny ability to alter course away from the lens. Not just away, but in short time, it could easily be a mile away. LOL. Anyone else been there? So the best strategy is to wait it out. On this day, the waiting paid off. Gosh, the gray ghosts are such an incredibly striking raptor. Love it!
Hope that everyone (that celebrates) had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday doing what makes you feel most thankful. :-)
In the meanwhile, bring on the winter raptors.
Here's another bird I see at Point Reyes, usually several times per visit. The male version of the Northern Harrier, also nicknamed the Gray Ghost, silently appearing out of nowhere. They tease me. They fly in front of my vehicle. They land in back light. This one was just late afternoon, pretty far away.