Prairie Hunters

This post includes the final Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) images that I captured last weekend during my Short-Eared Owl photo trip. In today’s post, a female Northern Harrier is actively hunting over the prairie:

 

Northern Harrier hunting over the prairie

 

Once a potential meal has been spotted, the legs come down and the bird prepares to make a catch:

 

Northern Harrier hunting over the prairie

 

 

Just then, a strong wind gust blows the harrier a bit off course (we had wind gusts of over 35 mph that day!):

 

Northern Harrier hunting over the prairie

 

 

The bird makes a quick adjustment to prepare for the catch:

 

Northern Harrier hunting over the prairie

 

 

However, it was either a false alarm or the potential meal made a clean getaway. The harrier then moves farther out in the prairie to continue hunting!

 

Northern Harrier

 

Northern Harrier

 

 

A juvenile Northern Harrier (as evidenced by the solid, rusty-orange chest) then appeared:

 

Immature Northern Harrier in flight

 

 

The Northern Harriers are a common inhabitant of Missouri’s prairies, and play a vital role in balancing the prairie environment, not to mention such a beauty to watch and photograph!

 

 

 

Online-Photography-Classes.com

Best Blog Badge

 

Find your nature with WildObs

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , .
Permalink bookmark.
Follow comments: RSS feed for this post.
Trackbacks are closed, but you can post a comment.