Last week, when I was in the Okanogan Highlands, I had a chance to watch and photograph Northern Harriers. Their previous name is Marsh Hawk and I don’t know why it was changed. Marsh Hawk is a fitting description as they are often seen flying over marshes and open fields, hunting for prey. They are a beautiful hawk with an owl-like face. These birds are probably juveniles and maybe an adult female. The adult males are gray with similar markings and sometimes referred to as the grey ghost.
At Malheur NWR, I had plenty of chances to work on improving my birds in flight photography skills. Lots of types of birds around all the time. Forester’s Tern, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Long-billed Curlew, Swainson’s Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Northern Harrier aka Marsh Hawk.
Winter means finding a meal is hard so this Sharp-shinned Hawk spent time scoping out the bird feeders last week. They didn’t find food that time.
This Sharp-shinned Hawk visited the feeders in a snow storm earlier this week. It has been coming around for a while. All the little birds scatter when the hawk arrives.
This is a Red-tailed Hawk. Redtails, as they are commonly called, come in a variety of colors but most have similar patterns that ought to make them easy to identify. For beginning birders, they do present challenges. This bird is a light colored, first year bird. It was born last spring. The next time it molts (replaces its feathers) it will have a distinctive red tail which will make it easier to identify. Sometimes Redtails are very dark and the patterns are not always obvious. It is the most commonly seen hawk in our area.
My Everyday Photos 