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"Grey Ghost" is the name given to the male Northern harrier. This one is on a low perch at Cherry Creek State Park, near the East gate.
This guy here is what I have wanted to see for years! When I finally was lucky enough to witness his majesty, it was nothing short of magical...with utmost respect for him! It's like he had this halo around him, unbelievable feeling.
Being 24 to 33 inches (61-84cm) tall, with a 4- to 5-foot (1.2 -1.5m) wingspan, the Great gray owl is the largest owl in North America, however, the owl’s size is partly an illusion as the feathers account for most of it’s size! The great gray has well adjusted to his northern climate!
Owls are hard to find as it is, but these owls are even harder to encounter, as they truly are boreal species, living in the Northern Hemisphere from Scandinavia to northern Asia to northern North America.
"The Great Gray Owl is a dapper owl dressed in a gray suit with a bow tie across its neck and a surprised look on its face" describes this owl well :)
My wife and I went out for a drive this morning when she spotted this Northern Harrier flying in the distance. I parked the car, got my camera from the trunk, walked out to the field and I couldn't find the bird. After about 10 minutes, I was about to give up, this beautiful fellow came out of nowhere and looked me over.
Canon EOS 7D Mark II, EF400mm f/5.6L USM, f/8, 1/4000, ISO 1000
Kia earned her "RN" (Rally Novice) title today! We got a score of 94 (out of 100) & she was 3rd highest scoring dog .
It was an extremely LONG day, but well worth it. We left the house at 8:15am to be at the competition by 10am & due to some complications we didn't get into the ring until after 4pm. Kia met some new friends - 3 Corgies & 2 Standard Poodles. Yankee was her favorite - He is a 3 yr old Corgie & so sweet. They had a BLAST playing in the off-leash park while we waited for our turn to compete.
When we were all done (as if she hadn't had enough going on today) I took her to the Pumpkin patch to pick a pumpkin & get some Fall photos of her. This is one of my favorites.
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
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.
Northern Harrier
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
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.
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!
I rarely see male Northern Harriers on the Sumas Prairie, so this is likely the same bird I saw last month.
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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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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I was taking a break from the sun and standing in the shade when I saw a bird flying towards me. Glad I took a break! This bird is also called the gray ghost.
Thanks so much for the visit!
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.
Kia turned 2 today!
Happy Birthday!!!
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Made EXPLORE August 30, 2007!!!
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.
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Member of the Nature’s Spirit
Good Stewards of Nature
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!
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.
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.