Copyright ©2021 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Several weeks ago He-Man was up for exploring so I took him to some of my birding spots that he hasn’t been to yet. While driving into one area I spotted a Northern Harrier on the ground in an irrigation ditch and as soon as we parked I took off to try to get a photo of it. It remained still and let me take a series of images of it. I wondered if it had a meal in that pile of weeds/grass?
Afterwards I caught up with He-Man and while we were picking our way through a field avoiding the muddiest spots he spotted another one sitting in the field. WOOT!
Later on I spied her flying and on the lookout for a meal.
Look at this wing span! She’s ready to pounce! She came up empty and flew out of my range and view onto a new hunting ground no doubt across the pond.
Cool facts:
Male Northern Harriers can have up to 5 mates at once though most only have two. The males provides the food, and the females take care of incubating the eggs and brood the chicks.
Northern Harriers are the most owl like of the hawks, but they are not related to owls. They rely on their hearing and vision to find prey. They have a disk shaped face the looks and functions like an owls with stiff facial feathers that direct sound to their ears.
Juvenile males have pale greenish-yellow eyes, while juvenile females have dark chocolate brown eyes. The eye color of both sexes changes gradually to lemon yellow by adulthood. I didn’t know that!
They eat small mammals and small birds but have been known to take down ducks and rabbits.
The oldest known Northern Harrier on record was a Female at least 15 years, 4 months old when she was captured and released in 2001 by a bird bander in Quebec. She had been banded in New Jersey in 1986.
Cool facts gleaned from allaboutbirds.org
The Harriers were the most exciting sighting at this location soon we were on our way to find a meal ourselves then call it day and head home.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, keep safe and warm!
Fuji X-T3| Fuji 100-400mm| PS CC 22.2
more to come…
What a wonderful find and great photos of the awesome Northern Harrier, Deborah! I have been lucky enough to see them at a distance, and close-up on a couple of occasions, but am sure I never managed to get any photos like these! learned so much about them from your post – thanks!
Thank you so much, BJ! It was exciting to see them this close and get some decent images of them.
I always learn more about the birds reading blogs like yours and looking up the cool facts on birds I see. I’m so glad you enjoyed the post! 🥰
Lucky you! They are such beautiful birds and interesting to watch. I’ve only seen them twice… flying over two different marshes, hunting. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos and adventure story. And so interesting that the male and female juveniles have different coloured eyes but as adults, the colours are the same! 😊💛
Thank you so much, Myriam! That information on the juvenile eyes was new to me too. Very interesting eh? Now if my old brain can remember it when out in the field while birding I’ll be doing great. 😀🤗
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Deborah, those shots are jaw-dropping gorgeous. Beautiful work! Your information is interesting too. Hugs on the wing!
Thank you so much, Teagan! I’m glad you liked the cool facts too. Have a great Wednesday! xx 🥰
Well, you know I like this one a lot. Learned a lot from The Bird Man.
Thank you so much, Kendall! Oh, how lucky you are to have the Bird Man! 😀
Welcome! Yes, he is quite a knowledgeable guy!
Oh wow! That’s an impressive bird, Deborah! I’ve recently seen some type of large hawk flying around our neighborhood. The wingspan is always shocking. And I love the coloring of them.
Thank you so much, Amy! How you that you have a Hawk flying around your neighborhood! I love seeing and hearing them.
Great captures, Deborah. I love photographing Harriers when I can find them.
They are cool! Thank you, Gordon!
You know, I’m going miss photographing those Kites down by the Amphitheater. Well, I sure hope they return to their nesting place this Spring for you!
I almost forgot about them. I will have to check on reports and then visit the site again.
What a beautiful hawk! I’m surprised at the wingspan. Boy, were you lucky to capture it. Wonderful photos, Deborah. Does He-Man like your treks and birding? How old is he now?
Thank you so much, Jennie! I was lucky that afternoon.
He-Man has always been supportive of my “hobbies” thankfully! He’s a great friend for that! Although he does get bored just hanging around waiting for the birds, or the light to be just right so, he doesn’t come with me very often. 😀
Just what a boy would do. Sounds like the times he goes with you are pretty special.🙂
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You had yourself an adventure! Good company, great finds, and wonderful shots. It doesn’t get much better than that. Well, I guess if your two ‘young’ guys were with you too, it would have been fun, but probably not so many shots taken. 🙂
Thank you so much, Judy! No, not as many shots would have been taken with the boys there. We’d have been chasing our Littlest no doubt, and #1 would have been bored in no time. 😂
These are wonderful! I especially like the second with all that pretty golden grass.
Thank you so much, Denise!
Hi, Deborah,
we see a Marsh Harrier circling above our garden and the marshes nearly every day. Actually, two a male and female harrier. It’s looking like your Northern Harrier. In our bird reserve, we have several pairs of Marsh Harriers.
Thanks for sharing.
All the best
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Oh, I’d love to see your Marsh Harrier one day!
Awesome series of shots, Deborah!
Thank you, Donna! 😀
Great captures Deborah, you did well to catch such s great opportunity.
Thank you so much, Ashley! It was fun to see them and get some photos of them.
Those are great shots, Deborah. You covered all the bases, including in-flight – that photo is amazing.
Thanks for adding the cool facts. I always enjoy learning about the pictures.
Thank you so much, Dan! I enjoy the facts because I learn something new myself all the time. I’m you enjoy them too!
Love these shots, Deborah, but then you always have wonderful photos. It reminds me that I have a good shot of a female harrier as well from the Preserve that has a good story to go with it. I’ll have to post it one of these days. 🙂 I hope you’re having a great Friday and have a wonderful weekend planned. My husband finally had the weekend off, then he was able to schedule his first Covid shot for Saturday afternoon…and then some work came up for Sunday. Sigh. I’m glad I could get to Flag on Monday just to get out of town. 🙂
janet
Oh, yes post the image(s) and the story! I was to see and read it!
I hear you about the week-end. We’ve got weather so I’m staying in. In fact I woke up to find it snowed and it stuck!
I’m glad I went out on Tuesday to the new to me refuge.
Beautiful photos, Deborah. I love hawks. 😁
Thank you so much, John! Me too. My favorite of the hawks is the White-tailed Kite which I probably won’t see here.
I really don’t know one from another but when a hawk is in the area I always feel secure. I love their high pitched cry too.
Most welcome
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Wonderful post, Deborah. These are beautiful photos!
Thank you so much, Belinda! 😀
Incredibly beautiful captures.
I agree with that. My thoughts, too.
Thank you so much, Pit!
🙂
Thank you so much, Irene! 😀
Wow – what a beautiful bird and great captures!
Deb
Thank you so much, Deb!
Beautiful snaps
Thank you so much, Athira!
Always welcome..your blog is really wonderful
Thank you so much, Athira! You’re too kind! 🤗
Your photos of birds amaze me. The detail on the wings is something that I rarely see in real life. Yet you get it and the colors are wonderful.
It’s rare that I can get this close to a hawk so I was thrilled the one in the ditch stayed still.
Thank you so much, Ally!
Love that last shot. Saw one of these here in the UK a few years back, obviously got lost, it drew a lot of admirers.
Ah, I totally get that crowds show up for the rare bird. I do when I can too.
Thank you so much, Brian! I think it’s so cool that one was there and you saw it!! 😀
Deborah, I am always in awe how you manage to capture such amazing photos of birds! And, they hold still and pose for you. Each photo could be a wall hanging. The Northern Harrier with the different backgrounds is stunning. And, yes, the wing span. Wow! 5 mates at once…..good grief. 🙂
1 mate keeps me hoppin I can’t imagine anymore how this breed keeps up with two mates and chicks to feed must be exhausting!
Thank you so much for this lovely comment, Erica! xx 😀
Ha, ha…..I get it on the one mate 🙂
I know right! 😂