![\"northern](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/northern-harrier-0048b-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThanks to cold temperatures and significant snow, some of the Northern Harriers at Farmington Bay are once again hunting closer to the road.<\/p>\n
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1\/3200, f\/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n This shot was taken three days ago soon after the bird took off from the frozen marsh.\u00a0 When it first\u00a0lifted off it was coming toward me and I didn’t like those images as much but it very quickly veered off to its left which gave me a better angle on the bird.\u00a0\u00a0Like many raptors, harriers seem to be less skittish in cold temperatures, especially when there’s snow, and that tends to allow better opportunities for photographers.\u00a0 That said, I do wish this bird had been a little closer when it took off.<\/p>\n I find harriers to be extremely challenging to photograph.\u00a0 In flight they seem\u00a0to instinctively place themselves between my pickup and the sun and then taunt me by coming in close.\u00a0 They always seem to know which side of my vehicle I can’t shoot out of and I swear they watch in amusement as I frantically maneuver my pickup in an effort to get an angle on them and then deliberately fly off a split-second too soon.<\/p>\n Harriers.\u00a0 Gotta love them!<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Thanks to cold temperatures and significant snow, some of the Northern Harriers at Farmington Bay are once again hunting closer to the road.<\/p>\n