Ready for takeoff

  

In late December I helped out with the Western Sonoma County Christmas Bird Count.  Here's a male Northern Harrier photo from that day.

Always watchful

  

It's been busy lately, but here's a quick shot of a Northern Harrier from Bodega Head earlier in the spring.

Opportunity

  

A beautiful male Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) turning to search for possible prey below.  Photographed on Bodega Head on 31 December 2023.  [You can click on the image for a larger and sharper version.]

Mid-morning flight

 

 

 

A couple of views of a Northern Harrier from 16 January 2023.

 

 

 

When harrier met vole

  

 Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) landing with prey, Bodega Head, 22 October 2022

Down jacket

  

Early morning light on a Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius).  I helped out with the Western Sonoma County Christmas Bird Count today (2 January 2022).  It was a chilly start to the day (patches of frost on Bodega Head) and this harrier's feathers were puffed up a bit.  A down jacket was a good idea this morning!

Searching

  

Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius), 9 April 2021

The hunter

  

I'm working on some photo organization (an endless task!), but here's a Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) from 24 December 2020.

Gray on gray

 

Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) with a Pacific Ocean backdrop, 28 February 2020.

Where the rivers meet the sea

A few highlights from a short walk in Humarock, MA, this afternoon (26 December 2019), close to where the South River and North River meet.  This is my old stomping grounds (where I grew up), so there were some familiar friends, but some new ones, too!  

In order of appearance:

 

Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) hunting over the dunes at Fourth Cliff

 

Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) resting on a floating dock

 

 

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) perched on a tree on Trouants Island in Marshfield, MA.  I spent many years here and never saw an eagle, so it was fun to be surprised by one today!  (My mom mentioned there is now a pair nesting along the North River.)

 

Ripples in birch bark 

 

Ripples in sand

Pale male

 

It's been busy lately, but here's a male Northern Harrier from back in March.

 

View from below

 

Nice look at a Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) when leaving work tonight, 5 April 2019.

 

I've seen flying squirrels, but...

Okay, many of you probably saw the Long-tailed Weasel photos that I posted a couple of days ago on 29 March 2019 — see the post called "Pop! Goes the...".  Well, I didn't reveal the entire story.  Mostly because it was a little too hard to believe.

I was looking through the camera's viewfinder and was trying to focus on a Northern Harrier hanging in the breeze over the bluff edge...when all of a sudden I noticed a dark streak at the bottom of the frame.  It wasn't until I got home and downloaded the photos that I realized what I had captured.  Now I've seen flying squirrels, but I hadn't heard of flying weasels!

 

Can you believe that?

Well, beware the 1st of April.  Happy April Fool's Day!

😉 

The true story?  I did actually photograph a bounding weasel and caught it while airborne — a very interesting perspective.  But, I missed capturing the entire animal by a nose, i.e., only by an inch or so (Darn!).  Here's the original photo:

 

And here's one more view of the weasel, getting ready to dash away from the burrow entrance:

 

Watch out for April Fool's Day jokes today!

Quiet moments

 

We felt lucky to spend a few quiet moments watching this Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) this evening (26 March 2019).

She was resting, but also listening and looking for prey:

 

 

And preening, too:

 

Low-flying

 

Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) 

Female (above) and male (below).

 

And one more of the male, hovering:

 

Photographed on Bodega Head, 13 February 2018

Two of the locals

Nice views of two local raptors in the Bodega Dunes today (7 November 2017):

 

Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)

 

White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus)

Learning to hunt

 

In the early evening, we watched this juvenile Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) hunting over the grassland on Bodega Head.  It was foggy and the light was dim, but it was a memorable experience -- such a handsome bird.  Note the wonderful chestnut color on the breast.

Gray beauty

Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus), Bodega Head, 29 February 2016

Rewind

At the end of the day, I looked back to see this beautiful male harrier perched in the grassland on Bodega Head:

 

The photo above was actually one of my last pictures.  When I'm reviewing pictures, if I think the best ones were taken last, sometimes I start with the final image and then step through them in reverse.  This turned out to be a fun process for these harrier pictures today — one that I'll share with you.

The harrier had just caught something and was starting to eat it.  I was too far away to identify the prey, but I decided to take pictures anyway.  

Here's the next picture I encountered:

 

Hmmm...was it eating a snake?

On to the previous image in the series, and another clue:

 

Hmmm...at the harrier's feet you can see the prey's head, but is it a snake?

Rewind to clue number three (this one will give it away):

 

Aha!  Legs!  Not a snake!  A lizard!

The harrier used its bill and feet to manipulate the lizard.  In the next image, he is picking up the lizard with his talons.  (Click on the image for a larger version.)

 

[It's likely this was an alligator lizard.  For an example, review the post from 10 April 2014.]

Harriers are known for having a broad diet, including small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. 

Although their prey might not feel the same way, I'm so glad to be seeing harriers again on Bodega Head.  For a while, it seemed like sightings of them had become uncommon.

 

Searching

 

Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus), Bodega Dunes, 8 November 2014