Tony's Takes Photography

Wildlife, landscape and weather photography

Harrier hurries off

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A female northern harrier keeps close watch on the photographer while patrolling the Great Plains. (© Tony’s Takes)
A female northern harrier keeps close watch on the photographer while patrolling the Great Plains. (© Tony’s Takes)

You see these fast-moving hawks often on the plains of Colorado but getting a picture? Good luck! Their speed coupled with their low-altitude flights and erratic patterns make it tough.

Sometimes though you can get lucky, as was the case with this pretty lady.

She was patrolling the side of a road as they often do (ditches are a great place for mice) so I positioned myself in front of her hoping she would continue on her path and thankfully she did.

You’ll find Northern Harriers across much of North America, Europe and Asia depending on the season. As they fly, they use their keen eyesight and hearing to spot and listen for their prey.

A female northern harrier performs a flyby. (© Tony’s Takes)
A female northern harrier performs a flyby. (© Tony’s Takes)

Northern Harrier gives a blue sky flyby

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A female Northern Harrier performs a flyby in eastern Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A female Northern Harrier performs a flyby in eastern Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

A fast but fun encounter with this cool, female yesterday. She was patrolling the rural roads of eastern Colorado and flew right by me.

These hawks are quite common here, particularly during the winter. They are, however, not easy to get pics of as they fly fast and low in very erratic patterns.

That owl-like face of theirs serves a purpose in that it focuses sound to their ears as they fly. This allows them to hear their prey in the brush below, sometimes before they even see it.

A female Northern Harrier performs a flyby in eastern Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A female Northern Harrier performs a flyby in eastern Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Young Gray Ghost performs a flyby

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A young male Northern Harrier performs a flyby in Adams County, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A young male Northern Harrier performs a flyby in Adams County, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Young Gray Ghost performs a flyby. Driving along the rural roads of Adams County, Colorado, I spotted this gorgeous raptor hunting right along the road. I quickly staged myself in front of the young male Northern Harrier and in return it gave me a couple of nice flybys.

You’ll find these hawks across much of North America, Europe and Asia depending on the season. Typically they fly very fast and low to the ground using their keen eyesight and hearing to spot and listen for their prey.

A young male Northern Harrier performs a flyby in Adams County, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A young male Northern Harrier performs a flyby in Adams County, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A young male Northern Harrier performs a flyby in Adams County, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A young male Northern Harrier performs a flyby in Adams County, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Female Northern Harrier on the hunt

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A female northern harrier patrols a field north of Denver, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A female northern harrier patrols a field north of Denver, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Another set of pics that I had not shared previously. Taken back in January north of Denver, I came across this pretty lady as she patrolled a field looking for a meal.

I was fortunate in that she actually came quite close to me but conversely I was shooting straight toward the sun. It did however provide some cool backlighting of her plumage.

I haven’t seen too many of these yet this season but their numbers will increase as temperatures cool and I will hopefully get many more opportunities to photograph them.

A female northern harrier patrols a field north of Denver, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A female northern harrier patrols a field north of Denver, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A female northern harrier patrols a field north of Denver, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A female northern harrier patrols a field north of Denver, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A female northern harrier patrols a field north of Denver, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A female northern harrier patrols a field north of Denver, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A female northern harrier patrols a field north of Denver, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A female northern harrier patrols a field north of Denver, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Male Northern Harrier guards its roadkill breakfast

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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.

A male Northern Harrier jealously guards a dead rabbit it found on the road. (© Tony’s Takes)
A male Northern Harrier jealously guards a dead rabbit it found on the road. (© Tony’s Takes)
A male Northern Harrier jealously guards a dead rabbit it found on the road. (© Tony’s Takes)
A male Northern Harrier jealously guards a dead rabbit it found on the road. (© Tony’s Takes)

Road rage! Two Gray Ghosts battle for breakfast

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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.

A pair of male Northern Harriers, Gray Ghosts, battle it out in the road over a rabbit. (© Tony’s Takes)
A pair of male Northern Harriers, Gray Ghosts, battle it out in the road over a rabbit. (© Tony’s Takes)
A pair of male Northern Harriers, Gray Ghosts, battle it out in the road over a rabbit. (© Tony’s Takes)
A pair of male Northern Harriers, Gray Ghosts, battle it out in the road over a rabbit. (© Tony’s Takes)
A pair of male Northern Harriers, Gray Ghosts, battle it out in the road over a rabbit. (© Tony’s Takes)
A pair of male Northern Harriers, Gray Ghosts, battle it out in the road over a rabbit. (© Tony’s Takes)
A pair of male Northern Harriers, Gray Ghosts, battle it out in the road over a rabbit. (© Tony’s Takes)
A pair of male Northern Harriers, Gray Ghosts, battle it out in the road over a rabbit. (© Tony’s Takes)
A pair of male Northern Harriers, Gray Ghosts, battle it out in the road over a rabbit. (© Tony’s Takes)
A pair of male Northern Harriers, Gray Ghosts, battle it out in the road over a rabbit. (© Tony’s Takes)
A pair of male Northern Harriers, Gray Ghosts, battle it out in the road over a rabbit. (© Tony’s Takes)
A pair of male Northern Harriers, Gray Ghosts, battle it out in the road over a rabbit. (© Tony’s Takes)
A pair of male Northern Harriers, Gray Ghosts, battle it out in the road over a rabbit. (© Tony’s Takes)
A pair of male Northern Harriers, Gray Ghosts, battle it out in the road over a rabbit. (© Tony’s Takes)

The Gray Ghost on the hunt

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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.

A male Northern Harrier patrols the grasslands of the Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)
A male Northern Harrier patrols the grasslands of the Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)
A male Northern Harrier patrols the grasslands of the Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)
A male Northern Harrier patrols the grasslands of the Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)
A male Northern Harrier patrols the grasslands of the Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)
A male Northern Harrier patrols the grasslands of the Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)

Male Northern Harrier on patrol

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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.

A male Northern Harrier - the Gray Ghost - on the hunt on the Great Plains. (© Tony’s Takes)
A male Northern Harrier – the Gray Ghost – on the hunt on the Great Plains. (© Tony’s Takes)

The Gray Ghost patrols the plains

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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.

A male Northern Harrier - the Gray Ghost - patrols the Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)
A male Northern Harrier – the Gray Ghost – patrols the Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)

Female Northern Harrier guards its kill

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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.

A female Northern Harrier stands in the open of the snow-covered Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)
A female Northern Harrier stands in the open of the snow-covered Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)
A female Northern Harrier stands in the open of the snow-covered Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)
A female Northern Harrier stands in the open of the snow-covered Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)
A female Northern Harrier stands in the open of the snow-covered Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)
A female Northern Harrier stands in the open of the snow-covered Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)