20160820 harrier on raven
Interesting interaction between a Northern Harrier, Raven and Turkey Vulture (not pictured) – the Harrier seemed to be highly agitated by the other birds. I would expect this perhaps around fledge time, but it seems late in the season – is this play? Competition? Just a pissed off bird?
Raven and Norther Harrier (female) / Point Reyes National Seashore
Raven and Norther Harrier (female) / Point Reyes National Seashore
I’ve never seen a Harrier so aggressive towards other birds.
Klamath Basin report III- northern harrier gets some supper
As mentioned in my last blog post, while I watched an otter consume a duck, a northern harrier came gliding down the canal and dropped down on a small bird in the vegetation on the side of the canal just 10 feet from the otter!
northern harrier starts its attack!
first strike! northern harrier grabs the small bird
harrier attempts to subdue small bird now in its talons
the struggle continues
lift-off! lift-off?
not quite – the struggle continues down on the ice
the harrier wins this contest
The whole time I’m shooting this scene the otter is just eating (and occasionally napping) away just 10 feet to the right. It was just ridiculous the amount of activity happening at this particular location.
One thing I noted while driving was that small birds were flying very close in front of my vehicle. I actually struck one of them, sadly. I’m wondering if their reaction time is slowed by the cold weather and if that gives an advantage to predators (who are primarily using gravity to drop down on their prey). Interesting to hear if anyone else has experience with this.
2015 Oct 07 – hawk hill merlin, ravens and red-tails
beautiful day up on hawk hill, filled with friends, hazy blue skies, and a good number of migrating birds and butterflies.
RED-TAILED HAWK / hawk hill, marin county ca
as i arrived there we had a great look at a merlin that flew not too far overhead (a merlin is a type of small falcon, larger than a kestrel but smaller than a peregrine falcon) – it appeared to be a juvenile. they are fairly uncommon here in the bay area, but they pass through during migration time from their breeding grounds to the north – and in the time of short days we get a boost in the population as some choose to spend the winter here.
MERLIN / hawk hill, marin county ca
the humans congregated on top of the hill with their scopes and binos, calling out every moving bird within a couple of miles. it’s a rather bizarre experience, to see all these people perched on the high hill for hours at a time every day for three months of the year, but wonderful that so many committed volunteers take their time to do this. as everyone was focused afar, two resident ravens, a male and female pair, landed very close by to watch the watchers.
RAVENS with golden gate in background / hawk hill, marin county ca
RAVENS with golden gate in background / hawk hill, marin county ca
we chuckled as we realized that i was watching the birds, who were watching the other people, who were watching the other birds! these two hung around for quite a while, intrigued by the activity of the people (and likely looking for some dropped food as well). occasionally they would come very close to each other, making quiet croaking noises as one of them would groom the other’s face area. it was so endearing. and at such close quarters, in the bright sun, i could really see the intelligence in their eyes. amazing, beautiful animals.
RAVENS grooming – or perhaps a literal “peck on the cheek?”
RAVENS / hawk hill, marin county ca
RAVEN / hawk hill, marin county ca
we saw a lot of accipiters today, as expected, but were also treated to a number of ferruginous hawks, several merlins, and some late-in-the-day peregrines. after most people had packed up for the day and i was leaving the hill, a red-tail floated overhead to hunt the area and allowed for some really fun pictures …
RED-TAILED HAWK / hawk hill, marin county ca
RED-TAILED HAWK / hawk hill, marin county ca
RED-TAILED HAWK / hawk hill, marin county ca
the colors on this bird are amazing, and for an adult it has a very light eye (iris). so beautiful. thank you, my good friend!
as always happens when one packs up to leave, birds start showing themselves and tempting you to stay. as i started down the trail, one last juvenile northern harrier tried to keep me on the hill.
juvenile NORTHERN HARRIER (aka MARSH HAWK) / hawk hill, marin county ca
fledge week!
During this past two weeks I’ve had the fortune to see a lot of local raptor young and fledglings – peregrine falcons, red-tailed hawks, northern harriers, white-tailed kites, osprey, and even one black hawk / red-shoulder hybrid. I’ll have more detailed blog posts and the stories about each of these soon, but for now here are a few pictures.
white-tailed kite fledgling / Marin County CA
red-tailed hawk fledgling / Wildcat Canyon Reg Park Contra Costa County CA
northern harrier chick / Marin County CA
blackhawk / red-shoulder hawk hybrid chick / Sonoma County CA
osprey with 3 chicks / Mare Island Contra Costa County CA
juvenile peregrine falcon / Sonoma Coast, CA
lots of eyasses!
so many babies right now! in addition to the exciting black hawk / red-shoulder nest and eyas (in my last post), i’ve gotten to see some other fun sites.
the three eyasses at the fruitvale bridge have successfully fledged and are learning to fly. when i was there last week, they were still unsteady in their flight, and one was doing a lot of “practice flapping” while gripping tightly onto the bridge span. so fun to watch. he took a little time to stare down at the strange two-legged staring up at him. when the adult female showed up (empty taloned), one of the young kept harassing her and pushing her off her perch. they are a hungry lot!
fledgling peregrine falcon / Alameda County, CA
i stumbled on a nest that i hadn’t ever seen before, after hearing the young begging for dinner. this red-tailed hawks nest near wildcat canyon should be vacant very soon – these young are looking ready to go. i saw their parents hunting until well after dark trying to keep their bellies full, not an easy job!
red-tailed hawks nest / Contra Costa County, CA
three red-tail eyasses
i’m still hopeful that i’ll get to see some young harriers soon, for surely the behavior of the the pair (pictured in some previous posts) in the marsh by the bay indicates they are around.
female northern harrier / Marin Co, CA
sonoma coast northern harriers
male Northern harrier / Sonoma Coast CA
On this picture you can see the owl-like facial disk that Northern harriers wear:
male Northern harrier / Sonoma Coast CA
female Northern harrier / Sonoma Coast CA
female Northern harrier / Sonoma Coast CA
male Northern harrier / Sonoma Coast CA
male Northern harrier / Sonoma Coast CA
Northern harriers are found in open grass and marsh lands (historically called the “marsh hawk”), and they tend to fly low over the landscape in search of small mammals, insects and lizards which are one of their main sources of prey. They have a small facial disk, similar to owls, and it is believed they use this to use focus sound when hunting in the same way that it is said that owls do.
Males and females are sexually dimorphic, meaning in this case that they have very different adult plummages. Males are white and gray with black on the wingtips of the primary feathers, while females (and sub-adults) are dark brown overall with a cinnamon or pumpkin coloring on their underside (sub-adults tend to have more of a cinnamon coloring). One of their features that is helpful for in-flight ID is their white rump patch, seen on all of them. They also tend to hold their wings in a slight dihedral (v-shape), while gliding low over the ground.
Interesting, these birds nest on the ground.
They are fun to watch, as they glide over the landscape almost like butterflies teetering in the wind.
feralzach 