A chance encounter with this Gray Ghost from back in December. Raptors are quite opportunistic and don’t mind taking advantage of another creature’s misfortune. Such was the case here with a rabbit that failed to make it across the road. The hawk got itself a meal out of the deal and didn’t have to exert any effort to get it.

You may recall this same hawk as one that I posted pictures of when it found itself under attack by another male harrier over the meal. That was a fun series of images you might want to check out here.

You’re sitting there enjoying your breakfast on the blacktop and wouldn’t you know it, someone else comes along and crashes the meal. 😉

A pretty darned fun series I captured this morning. I am driving along and see something in the middle of the road so I slow down and see a male Northern Harrier – the Gray Ghost – eating a rabbit.

I work my way up slowly, getting closer to get some better pictures and the hawk isn’t minding one bit as he was just hungry. As I am taking pictures, I see something out of the corner of my eye and realize another bird is inbound and about to crash the party. It unfolds so fast, I squeeze the trigger and just hope for the best. In the end I got this sequence of seven images.

Awesome stuff! I do wish the scene took place on a field instead of a road but beggars can’t be choosers.

During the winter we see more and more of these on the Great Plains. Northern Harriers are lots of fun to watch as they skim the surface of fields, hunting for a meal. They are tough to capture pictures of as they are so fast and fly very low to the ground.

This particular male, a Gray Ghost, gave me a couple nice passes recently. I was shooting into the sun so that made for a tough exposure but the images came out pretty good. Taken at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge near Denver, Colorado.

Taken back in January on a very cold afternoon. This handsome guy was hunting the roadside, looking for a meal and was kind enough to give me a number of nice captures. The male Northern Harrier is nicknamed the Gray Ghost, due to its color and its knack for staying hidden.

You’ll find Harriers across much of North America, Europe and Asia depending on the season. Here we call them Northern Harriers but in other spots on the globe they are known as Hen Harriers, Harrier Hawks or Marsh Hawks.

During the winter, Northern Harriers are pretty common on the Colorado plains but getting pictures of them is never easy. They don’t sit still for long, are notoriously camera shy and when they fly, they are highly erratic in their paths and very close to the ground.

The male Northern Harrier is nicknamed the Gray Ghost, due to its color and its knack for staying hidden. Historically I haven’t had a lot of luck with getting good captures of them but this winter, for some reason, I have had better luck which is very pleasing to me. Late last month I happened across this one as it zigzagged over a field looking for a meal. That beautiful plumage and those brilliant yellow eyes are just striking.

You’ll find Harriers across much of North America, Europe and Asia depending on the season. Here we call them Northern Harriers but in other spots on the globe they are known as Hen Harriers, Harrier Hawks or Marsh Hawks.

Scroll down to view the complete series.

Gray Ghost on patrol sequence - 1 of 9

Gray Ghost on patrol sequence - 2 of 9

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Gray Ghost on patrol sequence - 9 of 9

My goodness, what a charmed encounter with this beauty! Driving along a dirt road in Adams County, Colorado, I see what clearly is a hawk on the ground in the open and not 10 feet from the road. That struck me as odd and as I looked closer, I could see it was a female Northern Harrier.

Very slowly I drove closer and much to my amazement, she didn’t flee. I stopped and started snapping pictures and soon realized why she didn’t want to leave. She was guarding a kill – a rabbit. I snapped bunches of pictures as she stood nearby, hesitant to approach it.

As it would turn out, she was being watched by something else, a young Red-Tailed Hawk, that I hadn’t noticed. The other raptor would eventually scare her off and claim the meal, a bit of action I failed to capture well. However, I was absolutely thrilled to get these pics of the Harrier. They are notoriously camera shy and these are probably the best sitting pics of one I have ever gotten.

I happened across this pretty lady as she flew fast and low over some fields, undoubtedly looking for a meal. She did dive to the ground at one point but came up empty handed.

These pics show why it is so hard to get a quality picture of these raptors. They typically fly very low to the ground and cameras have a hard time focusing on them as the gear struggles to pick them out from the ground. Every now and then though I can get things right and capture some decent shots.

You’ll find these hawks across much of North America, Europe and Asia depending on the season. Here we call them Northern Harriers but in other spots on the globe they are known as Hen Harriers, Harrier Hawks or Marsh Hawks.

Driving along a few days ago I spot a good-sized bird flying low and fast toward me from the side. Slamming on the brakes (I was a on a lonely dirt road), I quickly roll down the window and swing my camera around. As it grabbed focus on the fast-mover, I was excited to discover the object was a male Northern Harrier – the Gray Ghost.

These hawks are relatively common but not often seen and the males in particular seem to have a reluctance about having their picture taken. I usually only see them in the winter so seeing one in the summer and having it be the gorgeous gray male was a special treat. He never did get all that close but I managed some nice captures as he flew by nevertheless.

Northern Harriers are notoriously difficult to get pictures of and the males, nicknamed the Gray Ghost, seem to be even more so. They shy away from people and their erratic flight patterns close to the ground make it tough to get a lock on them.

I was absolutely tickled to come across this gorgeous guy as he circled a road kill and, best of all, he was willing to forgive my presence in order to secure a meal. In the process, I captured a series of images that were by far my best of this hawk to date.

You’ll find these hawks across much of North America, Europe and Asia depending on the season. Here we call them Northern Harriers but in other spots on the globe they are known as Hen Harriers, Harrier Hawks or Marsh Hawks.

Taken in Adams County, Colorado on February 6, 2016.