I’ve been pretty fortunate getting some nice pics of these hawks of late and this past Sunday was a prime opportunity.

A pair was continuously hunting along a roadway so I just parked and let them come to me. That is usually the best strategy for getting pics of these fast, low flyers as they will be very focused on the hunt and largely ignore you if you aren’t moving.

While the background in these images is less than ideal, it does provide a good example of the differences between the male and female. The male, aka the gray ghost, is gray and white with piercing yellow eyes. The female has more subdued earthtone coloring. Both are beautiful but the male definitely steals the show in my opinion.

Male northern harrier performs some Top Gun moves. An absolutely insane aerobatic display put on by this hawk this past weekend.

It was patrolling over a field and rather than doing the usual fast and low hunt that these raptors are known for, it was opting for a far more vertical approach. Almost like I have seen hummingbirds do, it would fly high then perform a vertical dive to the ground, pulling up at the last minute and then rocketing skyward again. When it reached the top, it actually would roll onto its back, going inverted before plummeting toward the ground again.

I have never seen a harrier do this before and when I looked at the pics and saw it upside down, I was amazed. The action was a good ways away so these images are pretty heavily cropped and not the best but it portrays some neat action. Click through them all to see the sequence.

I was recently updating my online store with some new images and came across this cool capture from last month that I never shared.

This is the same northern harrier that had been dining on a roadside rabbit. At one point it decided to get a bit of exercise before continuing its meal and in doing so, made a couple beautiful flybys.

Here, it banks hard, showing off that awesome gray plumage and those piercing yellow eyes with the Rocky Mountains serving as a backdrop. You also get a good look at the harrier’s owl-like face, a feature that helps direct sound to its ears greatly aiding its hunting ability.

Sometimes getting a meal is easier than others. Normally you will find Northern Harriers patrolling drainages, listening and watching for some unsuspecting rodent to make a meal of. They will then acrobatically drop to the ground trying to nab the critter. This is often not successful and takes multiple attempts.

It is little wonder that this male harrier opted for a much easier target, a dead rabbit alongside a remote rural road. I spotted him circling the area so set myself up a ways away, and waited. Sure enough, he flew in for a quick bite and in doing so, gave me this fun shot.

Harriers are never easy to photograph and the males, the gray ghosts as they are nicknamed, are even harder. This image gives a nice look at that beautiful white and gray plumage and those piercing yellow eyes.

Just a pretty lady against a beautiful, blue Colorado sky. I almost missed her as I was focused in the opposite direction watching some eagles. I spotted her out of the corner of my eye and quickly swung around, grabbing a sequence of her as she flew by.

These are really cool hawks but not easy to photograph due to them usually flying just above ground level making it hard to get a lock on them. Their owl-like face with stiff feathers forming a ring around their head helping to direct sound to their ears, allowing them to hunt by hearing as well as sight.

You will oftentimes find them in open land, particularly near drainages, flying low and fast with their heads down as they look and listen for prey.

While these cool hawks are in Colorado throughout the year, it is during the colder months that I most often see them. This beautiful female was hunting a field this past weekend and gave me some nice shots as she flew by.

These raptors are pretty cool with an owl-like face with stiff feathers forming a ring around their head helping to direct sound to their ears, allowing them to hunt by hearing as well as sight. You will oftentimes find them in open land, particularly near drainages, flying low and fast with their heads down as they look and listen for prey.

I haven’t done too well in recent months getting pics of these elusive, hard to capture raptors. Last weekend, one finally cooperated.

Northern harriers are quite common here in the winter but their low flying erratic flights make them difficult subjects. For whatever reason, the males (aka the gray ghost) are elusive and not as often willing to stray close to people.

This particular one was hunting a drainage along the road. I positioned myself well ahead of it, hoping it would continue on its path and give me some shots and indeed it deed. I just love that gorgeous gray and white plumage and of course there are those brilliant yellow eyes.

I’m not sure if this pretty female northern harrier was annoyed with the snow or me taking her picture while sitting in it. Well, I reckon given the reaction I get from critters, we can guess it was me. 😉

Taken last month, I spotted her as she sat in a field in Longmont, Colorado. She really didn’t mind me at all and let me grab quite a bunch of pictures of her hanging out before taking flight away from the camera.

A quick capture from a fleeting sighting of this hawk this past weekend. Driving along, I spotted it as it hunted along the shores of a pond. I quickly raced ahead, hoping to it as it flew directly by. Of course, it had other plans and flipped a u-turn at which point I grabbed this shot as it departed.