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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.
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 think in my short birding career I'd seen a male Northern Harrier once. Just one time ever. Then this past Fall at Point Reyes, my luck changed and I saw them several times - resting, soaring, and nice low surprise flybys like this one. They do seem to come out of nowhere - this guy popped up from behind the hillside along the trail I was hiking.
From Cornell: "The Northern Harrier is distinctive from a long distance away: a slim, long-tailed hawk gliding low over a marsh or grassland, holding its wings in a V-shape and sporting a white patch at the base of its tail. Up close it has an owlish face that helps it hear mice and voles beneath the vegetation. Each gray-and-white male may mate with several females, which are larger and brown. These unusual raptors have a broad distribution across North America."
"Northern Harriers are the most owl-like of hawks (though they’re not related to owls). They rely on hearing as well as vision to capture prey. The disk-shaped face looks and functions much like an owl’s, with stiff facial feathers helping to direct sound to the ears."
KCS 2022 shoves a set of autorack to the small autoport in Cottage Grove. Usually there's a single unit that is based out of here, working said autoport and the 3M plant just to the east, and just happens to be KCS 2022 recently
Male northern harrier aka a gray ghost, makes its way slowly across the grass at Point Reyes looking for an unaware vole.
Not long before I spotted the juvenile Northern Harrier, I saw this adult male hunting through the brush at the shore's edge. Adult male Northern Harriers are instantly recognizable with their overall gray colouring and black wingtips -- and are often called 'gray ghosts.'
Northern Harrier (m) was taken before sunset at Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
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The Weimaraner, Germany's sleek and swift 'Gray Ghost,' is beloved by hunters and pet owners alike for their friendliness, obedience, and beauty. They enjoy exercise, and plenty of it, along with lots of quality time with their humans.
This grey ghost gave me a quick glance as he was hunting the fields for food. Thanks for looking!
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During my drive to work, in Cherry Creek State Park, at the intersection of the main road and Jordan Road (aka Gun Club Road) this male Northern harrier flew in my direction. The light was grey that morning, perfectly suiting his grey feathers.
This is just one of several "keepers" that I got in under three-seconds of shooting You have to be ready to shoot, with all your settings selected, have the camera readily at hand as you prowl for subjects, make sure that the lens is cool to avoid distortion caused by heat/cold interaction as you shoot the camera out of the car, turn the car off to prevent heat wave distorting the image and, oh yeah, getting the camera aimed on the bird and locked on. My Sony cameras are amazing, but it does take some practice to develop the skills.
There's more to the story. They call the male of this species "The Grey Ghost", not because he's a Confederate Army raider, but because he's so rare to see. In this case, I saw him hunting for a few seconds in the territory of a female Northern harrier, when she swooped in and chased him away. I thought that it might be mating interaction, but there was no playfulness and she drove him straight away, over the tree line and turned back to her territory. I hope that we do have some mating. I think that this male covers a huge territory, including all areas of Cherry Creek State Park.
Great details to observe by viewing full-screen.
Faithful Focus
Framed in monochrome and steady in spirit, a loyal companion holds a quiet focus on what lies ahead. “Faithful Focus” captures a moment framed for the future.