It isn’t often that I get a second chance at a male Northern Harrier in flight when things don’t work out the first time.
1/1250, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Three mornings ago (7:43 AM) I photographed this male Northern Harrier as it hunted along the causeway to Antelope Island at dawn. The bird (presumably the same one) has been hanging around the east end of the causeway for several weeks now. The causeway runs east-west and the harrier was flying west with the rising sun directly behind him. I was able to get dozens of shots of him, many of them sharp, but the light angle was such that the width of his body always shaded his narrower face. This image has more light on the face than any of the others but it’s not much.
It was frustrating to get that many close, sharp shots of the Gray Ghost in flight and have that lighting problem.
1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 400, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Two hours and 21 minutes later (10:04 AM) I encountered him again in the same area of the causeway as I was leaving the island. This time he was on the other side of the road and the sun had moved to the south and much higher in the sky so now my problem was getting light on his underside. But for this shot he dipped toward me and solved that lighting problem. The background (mudflats of the Great Salt Lake) may not particularly appeal to some but I do like the angle on the bird and the eye contact with their striking lemon-yellow color.
And there’s actually good light on the face!
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 400, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Five frames later he gave me the evil eye and then skedaddled.
I believe I’ve seen this same bird “sky dancing” in the area as he tried to woo a female harrier as his mate so I have high hopes of nesting success for them. I’ll be keeping an eye out for them and wishing them the best.
Ron
Ron the 2nd and 3rd shots you posted are about the most spectacular images I’ve ever seen of the Gray Ghost. Beautifully done sir!
Congrats! Your patience and expertise paid off in some great shots Ron! Thanks for sharing.
Charlotte
I can’t add more really to all the appreciative comments except to say My heart beats faster at the thrill of seeing the power and beauty of those wings and intense eyes.I don’t comment often but I never miss a day to look at your wonderful photos.
Ron – all I can say is Gorgeous, Gorgeous, Gorgeous!!! What a beautiful raptor & I LOVE all here captures!! Hope you do get more chances to capture him in the future!!
I hope so too, Jo Ann. But mostly I hope that he and his mate have a successful nesting season.
Thanks a bunch, Ellie Baby!!!
Between the feathered enchantment you give us, the education, the evil iPad and the sometimes more evil Patty I am guaranteed a good start to my day here. Megathanks. To all those who fly here…
Thank you, EC. Patty’s a rascal, isn’t she?
So glad not to be a vole anymore!
That last one truly is the evil eye. He would like you to remove yourself from his presence. Great shots, Ron.
The backgrounds are perfect with the colors of the bird…serendipity???
BEAUTIFUL! BEAUTIFUL! BEAUTIFUL!!!! You must feel so great getting these shots of this magnificent bird! So hard to pick a favorite, but it’s probably the third…love the angle and the eye contact!!!
(Sorry about “comment” yesterday, the evil IPad made me do it!).I slept very well, thank you, in my own bed. You’re safe–until next year….
Ha, that’s one you can’t blame on the evil iPad, Patty.
You’ll get yours…
How wonderful that you had a second chance at this guy! He is just gorgeous, evil eye and all. Love these photos, including the mudflats. I have long been a fan of monochromatic color schemes, so I have no problem with that background. Besides that, that background is natural, which is what we all like in your photos. 🙂
I agree with you, Susan. Years ago friend Richard Ditch taught me to more appreciate monochromatic images and I still do.
He is simply magnificent!!
Agreed, Leisa – he’s a handsome dude!
Fantastic images! I especially love the “evil eye.” My sister and I have stumbled across a mated pair in an area that we frequent. We are careful to keep far away from them so as not to disturb them. Congratulations on the wonderful experience.
“Congratulations on the wonderful experience”
And I congratulate you on yours, Sharon.
Great shot of the male Ron. I hope that you’ll be able to get a photo of a male and a female. Couple of days ago, while doing a raptor survey, we saw three Harriers in the air together. It was a male and two females. Not sure what was happening. It may have been a female interloper being driven off by a mated pair. Clearly there was some agonistic behavior. What really struck me was the very noticeable size difference between the male and the females. I realized that was the first time I’d seen a male and a female close to each other. Perhaps this was an unusually small male, but the difference in size seemed dramatic.
Sounds like an interesting harrier encounter you had, Jeff.
The size difference between the sexes IS fairly dramatic. On average females are about 50% heavier and 12.5% larger than males.
Ron, great stare down. Thanks
Thank you, Diana.
Very nice shots indeed, Ron! We just had two gray ghosts return to our field and meadow yesterday!
Many thanks for great shots.
Thanks, Dick. Good luck with your males!
Wonderful shots Ron. Such beautiful eyes. I noticed not only is the bird giving you a evil eye, his claws are showing. Maybe he wanted to grab your camera.
Jean, Harriers often carry their feet and legs low when they’re hunting slowly – they sometimes hang almost straight down.
I love seeing your photos every day. They are incredible! I wish I had more time to comment on every one of them, but I am just too busy. Thank you so much for giving what you do to those of us who get to experience the beauty of these birds through your amazing talent!
I appreciate your taking the time for the nice comment this morning, Sheryl. Thank you.