Northern Harriers are regular visitors throughout the Petaluma River Wetlands
April, 2018 - Northern Harrier showing the Gray Ghost coloration typical of male adults. This harrier was warming in the early morning sun very close to the trail connecting Ellis Creek to Schollenberger Park.
October, 2018 - Looping, stalling and diving. This harrier made several passes hunting the wetland fields that parallel the path at the western edge of Ellis Creek lands.
This shot was taken two-tenths of a second after the one above. The early rays of the sun flattening some of the coloration in the wings. The nearby field offers a closer view of the harriers hunting. This shot taken with a 500mm lens on a crop-sensor camera yielding an effective 750mm focal range and still had to be cropped more than one hundred percent to give this close up.
This is the same female Northern Harrier as in the two previous shots. Here, she is about thirty feet above the field and it looks like she is just about to dive, which she did, only to end the dive halfway down then continue on with her looping, rise and fall hunting flight.
One minute later this same harrier hunting nearer again, right down at thistle level, suspended nearly motionless in stall after stall as she works the edge of this field.
This is a full frame shot un-cropped, taken a few seconds later showing the full scene at 750mm.
Dramatic lighting angle showing off the curled primary feathers and total focus on prey below.
Ten minutes later, she came in close again and I was able to catch this moment.
November, 4, 2018 - Early morning finds this female Northern Harrier intent on driving this White-tailed Kite from the hunting grounds at the south eastern end of Schollenberger. All shots in this series are sequential taken at 1/5 second intervals.
A dramatic and fevered chase, those talons are serious weapons.
The harrier strikes the kite as the kite turns and defends with talons up.
The kite has now agreed to leave…
…and the harrier has accepted the departure.
January, 2019 - For me, this shot displays the striking beauty of the Northern Harrier in the Petaluma River Wetlands.