[Leica] IMG: Northern Harrier

[leica_r8 at hotmail.com (Aram Langhans)]

Great, as usual, Doug, but this one is super

http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/accipitridae/noharr06.html

Aram



-----Original Message----- 
From: Doug Herr
Sent: Saturday, October 20, 2012 9:03 PM
To: lug at leica-users.org
Subject: [Leica] IMG: Northern Harrier

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