[Leica] IMG: Northern Harrier

[ricc at embarqmail.com (Ric Carter)]

great action!

i love to watch harriers cruise the long, straight ditches of our farmland 
here

ric


On Oct 21, 2012, at 12:03 AM, Doug Herr <wildlightphoto at earthlink.net> 
wrote:

> The Northern Harrier (Circus cyan's) is a hawk found in North America most 
> often in open fields or marshes, where it hunts for mice and small birds 
> by cruising barely above the tops of vegetation, and coming upon a tasty 
> morsel drops suddenly onto the critter before it has time to react.
> 
> I spotted a male Northern Harrier this morning in the Yolo Bypass wildlife 
> area, apparently hunting for breakfast:
> 
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/accipitridae/noharr03.html
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/accipitridae/noharr04.html
> 
> Nearby a female Northern Harrier, larger than the male, and brown instead 
> of gray, was feasting on the remains of an American Coot:
> 
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/accipitridae/noharr05.html
> 
> I don't know how the Coot came to be a meal, whether by Harrier or by 
> other causes, but the male decided he wanted some too:
> 
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/accipitridae/noharr06.html
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/accipitridae/noharr07.html
> 
> but the tables quickly turned
> 
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/accipitridae/noharr08.html
> 
> and the male Harrier, overpowered by the bigger female, flew a short 
> distance away to wait while SWMBO had her fill:
> 
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/accipitridae/noharr09.html
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/accipitridae/noharr10.html
> http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/accipitridae/noharr11.html
> 
> All photos: R8/DMR, 560mm f/6.8 Novoflex/Telyt, most with monopod and 
> several cropped considerably.  All comments welcome.
> 
> Doug Herr
> Birdman of Sacramento
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com
> 
> 
> 
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