Another 'performing pose' from this handsome Gray Ghost!

Thank you all for your kind comments and favs, I have been gone for a couple of days, today was my youngest grandchild to turn 13...time goes so fast. Will catch up on comments tomorrow as quickly as I can!...:)

Explored #9 on 2017/01/08

www.flickr.com/explore/2017/01/08

Coyote Hills Regional Park, Fremont, California

Project 365+1 202/366 20july2008

365 days 186/365 20july2008

Telly loves to have his ears rubbed, if he had his way someone would be rubbing them all day long.

Point Reyes National Seashore

a Northern Harrier male, aka the Gray Ghost, takes off from a puddle

On overcast days, I tell myself I go out for the exercise but often I get lucky and there is just enough light and something dramatic swoops close.

Kia is our 1st weimaraner, she will be 2 on July 10th - How time flys! She is an amazing dog, so beautiful & so smart.

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This is a male Northern harrier, hunting at Cherry Creek State Park, Colorado, near the main campground.

Edwin Forsythe W.R. NJ.

Many thanks to all who take the time to view, comment, and favoring my images. Enjoy the day.

My only successful harrier encounter thus far consisted of a single pass from this male followed by one from the hen harrier. He definitely caught onto my presence!

He glances up from the hunt. Gray ghost aka Northern Harrier showing the long wings and yellow eyes

Older shot that I love... just moved it up in my stream since I m unable to flickr much right now :)

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what are they doing over there?

This fluffy male Northern Harrier didn’t care much that I stopped to take his photo. San Simeon, CA.

I rarely see male Northern Harriers on the Sumas Prairie, so this is likely the same bird I saw last month.

This afternoon I had the great fortune of watching three Northern Harriers hunt a large field. It was a sight to behold, as the birds would glide back and forth, almost flutter, then hover over the location where they spotted prey. When they zeroed in on the prey item they would dive right into the brush, and usually come away empty handed. Very cool birds!

The Holiday Weekend is over. Back to work in the morning!

Northern Harrier "The Gray Ghost:" A long range shot here, great looking bird. Thanks for looking.

Kia turned 2 today!

Happy Birthday!!!

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Made EXPLORE August 30, 2007!!!

At last Don and I had some sightings of the elusive male Northern Harrier - also known as the gray ghost. We went to San Luis NWR late one morning just after the rain stopped - and waited. Far in the distance we saw both the female and male working. They have a large territory and disappear into the grass for long stretches of time only to pop up and silently sweep across the fields searching for prey.

.....and I'm lost in work

I will try to get around to everyones streams this weekend!

One of the many reasons I love going to Las Gallinus is the opportunity to get a shot of the Northern Harrier. Although I think the female is the more striking of the two I get all excited when the 'Gray Ghost' as they have nicknamed the male species makes his appearance.

viewed best on black

Member of the Nature’s Spirit

Good Stewards of Nature

Gray ghost does a fly by

I was quite happy to see the Male Northern Harrier while I was at the Ridgefield NWR this week. He kept his distance but I tried to salvage these frames.

Completely unexpectedly came across a full adult male Northern Harrier. I rarely see these, juvenile males and females I will see occasionally in the winter in the Abbotsford area.

Male Northern Harrier

JRL_2669.jpg

Northern Harrier (male)

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

While visiting Las Gallinas the other day this gray ghost' male Northern Harrier seemed to appear out of nowhere flying in front of me and a contact Judy (maplez) that I met for the first time.

KCSM 4567 (AC4400CW) shuffles around in Bensenville Yard while KCS 2857 (GP38-2) idles away.

Northern Harrier

Weld County, Colorado

Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area

We call the male Northern harrier the "grey ghost" because we see him so seldom versus the females of the species. This is at Cherry Creek State Park, near Cottonwood Creek and Jordan Road.

We seem to have a bumper crop of Northern harriers at Cherry Creek this season. This is a juvenile male. When he's adult he'll no longer have that brown on his head and back. He's hunting very near the main road.

Male Northern Harrier, hunting low over Liberty Loop Marsh at Wallkill River NWR, NJ

Point Reyes

A male Northern Harrier passes close by - it is always a treat to see one of these handsome raptors.

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

Male Northern Harrier

"Gray Ghost"

Weld County, Colorado

Adult Male Northern Harrier

Point Reyes National Seashore

The male N.Harriers were not visable in the morning at Blackwater. But in the late afternoon, three started patrolling the fields. They are very difficult to get close to. They definately avoid human contact and always seem to veer away.