Strictly from a technical perspective this is my best ever Northern Harrier flight series. It was taken in January of 2010 at Farmington Bay WMA.
- It’s an eleven shot series with several ‘skips’. Readers not on mobile devices can tell where the skips are by reading the file numbers which can be seen by passing your cursor over the image.
- The background is rather unattractive dead phragmites. It is what it is.
- The harrier is an adult male, aka the Gray Ghost.
- I’ve posted several of these photos in the past but many are new to my blog. I’ve never posted the images as a series.
- As in all series some photos are better than others. I think the best images are toward the end but your mileage may vary.
- Image specs: 1/2000, f/8, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM. To my surprise my shutter speed never fluctuated throughout the entire series even though I shoot in aperture priority.
Unlike most harriers this male was predictable. As he was hunting I’d seen him pass directly in front of this stand of phrags several times so I parked my pickup in the best spot for light angle and distance for flight shots and hoped he’d do it again. He obliged me.
For most of the rest of the series I’ll keep my narration to a bare minimum. For better or for worse the images speak for themselves.
Finally he gave me direct eye contact.
This last photo is my favorite of the series. When I posted it to a bird photography critique forum some years ago some clown accused me of cutting the harrier out of another image and pasting it into this background which couldn’t be farther from the truth. A bit of a brouhaha was the result.
From a technical standpoint I was thrilled to get this many sharp shots in the series, especially with the background so very close to the harrier. Typically in this situation my active focus point would grab onto the background and the bird would be soft.
As a bonus I kept the harrier centered in the frame well enough in all of the photos that I didn’t have to compromise on composition while I was cropping the images. I think I was able to do as well as I did because back then harriers were unusually common at Farmington and they gave me lots of practice with flight shots.
Which explains why I’m so fond of them and why my pickup vanity plate reads HARRIER.
Ron
Note: Soon after I published this post I found out that one of my Facebook friends, KT Meiners, also has HARRIER vanity plates. It’s nice to have a kindred spirit.
Such a great series of (for me) a difficult (this gender of this species) image to take!
This is like the first “marsh hawk” I ever saw! Ghostly and agile. Thanks for a great series, Ron!
I first learned them as “Marsh Hawks” too, Ellen. Never heard of a Northern Harrier back then.
WOW RON 💯
What a beautiful bird ❗️I can’t wait to see these on my iPad.
Thank you, Diana.
Beautiful photos Ron. Harriers are definitely among my favorite birds. We have a small open-space with cattails and steppe behind our house in Colorado, and are fortunate to get fairly frequent visits from female harriers. Several years back we had a male and female visiting, and I realized how beautiful the males really are. These photos, with that amazing background, definitely capture the beauty. Thanks so much for posting.
Bill, the males are striking indeed. Unlike any other raptor I’m aware of.
Excellent!! Love the eye contact ones best! We were lucky enough to see one scanning the fields for dinner in Farmington this summer
Linda, Farmington used to be teeming with harriers. There are far fewer of them there these days.
Wow – they are sensational. And ten years ago. The third and last two are my favorites, but others will have their personal choices. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I am a Harrier lover who has yet to see the Gray Ghost. We have a female here starting just a few weeks back who will be with us till early summer. Living in hope that an adult will show up someday or that I will stay alive long enough for her to become one.
Ps: quick add – yesterday morning I saw my first ever Virginia Rail – what a tiny and elusive little bird.
Congrats on the rail, Everett. Elusive indeed.
Amazing! 3129 (8th from the top) is my favorite with the last being the second favorite. I love that first one for the way the Harrier is beginning to check you out (or that’s how is seems to me.) Thank you for bringing me joy this morning!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Arwen. Thanks.
Those last two shots where he turns and appears to be looking at you are pretty cool! Almost spooky coming from the gray ghost and for this time of year but not quite.
Thanks, Bradley. Those two photos are my favorites also.
That’s an amazing amount of shots with the Harrier filling up so much of the frame. Your tracking skills are in full display. Very impressive.
Thanks very much, Lyle.
So gratified to see the gorgeous “Gray Ghost” again–none of your posse
would ever suspect you of “cutting and pasting” these images, not only
because of your strong ethic, but also because we know how “fond” you are
of phragmites as a background……..
Kris, I don’t mind green phrags in my photos and I’m actually fond of the brown plumes in the fall and winter but I think those stems leave a lot to be desired.
Wonderful series, Ron! 😀 Amazing bird and amazing he cooperated for his photo shoot….. They are fun to watch. Cool that another friend has a HARRIER plate….
Thank you, Judy.
Wonderful series!
Thanks, Sheila.
The grey ghosts are aptly named – and incredibly beautiful.
Thank you Ron.
I have scrolled up, I have scrolled down. I have marveled. And, as an aside it is nice to have the back story to your Harrier plates.
EC, for me there was very little question about what my plate should say. I was just glad HARRIER was available.
Thanks for starting the day with mesmerizing harrier shots. Love that last shot and the ones with the curled and spread primaries.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Dave. Thanks.