harrier – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Northern Harrier in Flight over Farmington Bay

By Mia McPherson|January 23rd, 2016|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, female, flight, flying, harrier, harriers, hawks, Hawks of Utah, hen, Northern Harrier, open ground, raptors, sky, snow|

I spent a little bit of time yesterday morning photographing a few birds including this Northern Harrier in flight over Farmington Bay WMA.

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Frost Covered Juvenile Northern Harrier at Farmington Bay

By Mia McPherson|January 12th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, fence post, frost, frost covered, harrier, harriers, harsh, hawks, immature, juvenile, marshes, Northern Harrier, perched, post, raptors, snow, winter|

It isn't unusual to see birds like this frost covered juvenile Northern Harrier at Farmington Bay WMA, Utah early in the morning before the sun rises and warms them up.

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Juvenile Northern Harrier in flight over Farmington Bay

By Mia McPherson|December 24th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, breezy, Circus hudsonius, clouds, flight, flying, harrier, harriers, hawks, immature, juvenile, Northern Harrier, on the wing, open water, raptors, sky, young|

I was able to take a few frames of this juvenile Northern Harrier in flight as it flew over some open water.

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Juvenile Northern Harrier perched on a post

By Mia McPherson|November 23rd, 2015|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, Goose Egg Island, harrier, harriers, hawk, hawks, immature, juvenile, marsh, mobile blind, Northern Harrier, perched, post, wetlands, winter, wooden post|

I photographed this juvenile Northern Harrier as it perched on a post near Goose Egg Island at Farmington Bay.

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A Few Birds From Yesterday At Farmington Bay

By Mia McPherson|October 21st, 2015|Categories: American Coots, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Northern Harriers, Red-winged Blackbirds, Ring-billed Gulls, Utah, White-faced Ibises|Tags: Agelaius phoeniceus, American Coot, Ardea herodias, blackbird, blackbirds, Circus hudsonius, coot, coots, Fulica americana, Great Blue Heron, gull, gulls, harrier, harriers, heron, herons, ibis, ibises, Larus delawarensis, Northern Harrier, Plegadis chihi, Red-winged Blackbird, Ring-billed Gull, White-faced Ibis|

The light was beautiful yesterday morning at Farmington Bay WMA and I was able to photograph a few species if birds including this juvenile Northern Harrier flying over the marsh.

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Hovering Harrier – Head Down and Eyes on the Ground

By Mia McPherson|October 7th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, female, flight, flying, harrier, harriers, hovering, hunting, marsh, Marsh hawk, Northern Harrier, wetlands, winter|

I photographed this hovering Northern Harrier several years ago at Farmington Bay Water Fowl Management Area as it scanned the ground below for prey.

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Morning Spent at a Burrowing Owl Burrow

By Mia McPherson|June 23rd, 2015|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Burrowing Owls, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: adult, Athene cunicularia, barbed wire, birds of prey, Burrowing Owl, Circus hudsonius, fence, fledgling, fledglings, flight, flying, Gray Ghost, harrier, harriers, immature, juvenile, landing, Northern Harrier, owl, owls, Western Burrowing Owl|

Last week I posted an image of Burrowing Owl siblings that I found in northern Utah and today I am posting images of that burrow after spending yesterday morning being delighted by them once more.

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A Gray Ghost on a Gray Day

By Mia McPherson|February 24th, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: adult, bird photography, birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, flight, gray day, Gray Ghost, harrier, harriers, hawks, low light, male, Marsh hawk, Northern Harrier, raptors|

Three years ago on a very gray morning I photographed this male Northern Harrier; the Gray Ghost, in flight along the causeway to Antelope Island State Park.

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Northern Harriers On The Wing

By Mia McPherson|February 20th, 2015|Categories: Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: bird photography, birds of prey, facial discs, flight, flying, Gray Ghosts, habitat, harrier, harriers, hawk, Hawks of Utah, marsh, Marsh hawk, marshy, Northern Harrier, owl-like, snow, Wasatch Range, winter|

Male Northern Harriers, also called Gray Ghosts, are especially delightful to my eye when their plumage contrasts with soft bluebird skies that have just a touch of habitat in them

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Northern Harrier searching for prey along the Antelope Island Causeway

By Mia McPherson|January 24th, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: Circus hudsonius, coursing, flight, flying, harrier, harriers, hawks, hunting, Marsh hawk, mudflats, Northern Harrier, photographing, prey, raptor, sky, voles, winter|

Three days ago I had fun photographing a Northern Harrier searching for prey along the Antelope Island Causeway

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A few winter birds at Farmington Bay and flapping wings

By Mia McPherson|January 19th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Common Mergansers, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Northern Harriers, Pied-billed Grebes, Utah|Tags: Ardea herodias, Circus hudsonius, Common Merganser, duck, ducks, Great Blue Heron, grebe, grebes, harrier, harriers, heron, herons, merganser, mergansers, Mergus merganser, Northern Harrier, Pied-billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps, wing flap, winter|

Maybe when the weather clears tomorrow I'll be able to get back out Farmington Bay to photograph more birds.

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Eye Level Northern Harrier

By Mia McPherson|December 16th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: aerodynamic, birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, eye level, female, flight, flying, harrier, harriers, hawks, hen, immature, juvenile, Marsh hawk, Northern Harrier, raptor, snow, winter|

I love to photograph birds in flight and it doesn't matter which species it is. But I do thoroughly enjoy photographing raptors like this Northern Harrier as they fly by.

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Immature Northern Harrier On The Wing

By Mia McPherson|December 12th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, female, flight, flying, harrier, harriers, hawks, immature, marsh, Marsh hawk, Northern Harrier, raptors, sky, wetlands|

So I missed out on seeing the Northern Harriers, Bald Eagles and American Kestrels at Farmington Bay WMA this morning but decided to post an older image of an immature Northern Harrier on the wing.

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Juvenile Northern Harrier in flight

By Mia McPherson|November 12th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, clouds, dive-bombed, female, flight, flying, harrier, harriers, harsh winter, hawk, hawks, immature, juvenile, Marsh hawk, marshes, Northern Harrier, raptor, sky, survival rate, vole population|

Northern Harriers are year round residents in Utah and I am encouraged by the numbers of them I have seen lately at Farmington Bay WMA.

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Photobombed by a bird and a bug

By Mia McPherson|August 21st, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Barn Swallows, Birds, Dragonflies, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Loggerhead Shrikes, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: Barn Swallow, bird photography, birding, Circus hudsonius, Davis County, dragonfly, flight, harrier, harriers, Hirundo rustica, Lanius ludovicianus, Loggerhead Shrike, nature photography, Northern Harrier, perched, photobomb, photobombed, shrike, shrikes, swallow, swallows, wildlife photography|

When taking any photograph it is possible to be photobombed and I have had my share of those including these two bird images.

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Northern Harrier along the shore of the Great Salt Lake

By Mia McPherson|February 15th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, female, flight, flying, Great Salt Lake, harrier, harriers, hawks, Hawks of Utah, nature photography, nictitating membrane, Northern Harrier, raptors|

Two years ago I could often find Northern Harriers hunting along the causeway to Antelope Island State Park and I photographed a series of images of this female Northern Harrier on February 16th of that year.

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Resting Northern Harrier

By Mia McPherson|January 10th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: Circus hudsonius, fewer, harrier, harriers, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, juvenile, male, Marsh hawk, marshes, Northern Harrier, perched, post, prey, raptors, resting, wetlands, winter, wooden post|

Farmington Bay Waterfowl Area used to be my "go to" place for photographing Northern Harriers but this winter they are hard to find.

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Juvenile Female Northern Harrier – The Eyes Have It

By Mia McPherson|December 14th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, female, flight, flying, harrier, harriers, hawks, immature, juvenile, Northern Harrier, raptors, sky, winter|

Eye color can be used to sex juvenile Northern Harriers, brown for juvenile females and yellowish for the males and this harrier is a definite brown-eyed beauty.

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Female Northern Harrier in flight

By Mia McPherson|December 13th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, female, flight, flying, harrier, harriers, hawk, hawks, Marsh hawk, Northern Harrier, raptors, sky, Wasatch Mountain Range, winter|

Typically I see far more Northern Harriers in the winter here in Utah than I do during the breeding season which might be partly due to the harriers preferring to nest within marshy wetland areas which are in abundance around the Great Salt Lake.

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Northern Harrier chasing a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk

By Mia McPherson|November 14th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Northern Harriers, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: aerial dogfight, bird photography, Buteo jamaicensis, chasing, Circus hudsonius, fight, fighting, flight, flying, hariers, harrier, hawk, hawks, immature, juvenile, Northern Harrier, playing, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk|

This image of a Northern Harrier and a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in an aerial dogfight over Antelope Island State Park was taken the day before the recent snow storm started that we had here in the Salt Lake Valley over the weekend.

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Northern Harrier in flight

By Mia McPherson|March 20th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, flight, flying, Gray Ghost, harrier, harriers, hawk, hawks, Northern Harrier, raptors, wildlife photography|

Just an image I took yesterday of this male Northern Harrier in flight. As simple as the image is I like the great eye contact it has.

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Northern Harrier

By Mia McPherson|January 31st, 2012|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: 2nd year, birds of prey, chattering, Circus hudsonius, desert island, diving, flight, flying, Gray Ghost, harrier, harriers, hawk, hawks, immature, low light, male, Marsh hawk, Northern Harrier, raptors, snow, winter|

This Northern Harrier displayed interesting behavior, it didn't appear to be hunting but it would dive into the vegetation where it would make a sound that reminded me of parrots chattering.

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Taking a look back on a few previous Autumn Birds

By Mia McPherson|October 28th, 2011|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Pied-billed Grebes, Red-tailed Hawks, Red-winged Blackbirds, Ring-necked Pheasants, Tooele County, Utah, White-crowned Sparrows|Tags: Agelaius phoeniceus, autumn, birds of prey, blackbird, blackbirds, Buteo jamaicensis, Circus hudsonius, desert, Gray Ghost, grebe, grebes, harrier, harriers, hawk, hawks, Northern Harrier, Phasianus colchicus, pheasant, Pickleweed, Pied-billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-winged Blackbird, Ring-necked Pheasant, sparrow, sparrows, White-crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys|

Photographing birds during Autumn is a wonderful time for me in Utah, the beautiful fall colors delight and enthrall me, the air gets nippy and I find myself feeling a surge of energy whenever I am outdoors.

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Northern Harrier in Low Light

By Mia McPherson|May 16th, 2011|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: bird ID, bird photography, birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, falling snow, flight, fog, harrier, harriers, hawks, hovering, inversion, low light, Marsh hawk, marshes, Northern Harrier, raptors, snow, Wasatch Mountains, winter|

I don't mind the motion blur in these images and because northern harriers hunt by looking down at the ground for their prey I was very happy to get eye contact in both frames.

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Nesting Northern Harrier

By Mia McPherson|May 7th, 2011|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, female, flight, harrier, harriers, hawk, hawks, Hen Harrier, hovering, landing, marsh, Marsh hawk, marshes, nest, nesting, nesting material, Northern Harrier, wetlands|

Tt was the first time that I have ever seen a Northern Harrier building a nest. It more than made my day!

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Northern Harrier Wingtip Repair

By Mia McPherson|December 25th, 2010|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, harrier, harriers, hawk, hawks, nature, Northern Harrier, photoshop repair, post processing, raptor, raptors, wingtip repair|

There are times when I think an image might be worth a little extra work in post processing and this young male Northern Harrier image seemed worth the effort to repair a clipped wingtip.

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Northern Harrier – Gray Ghost

By Mia McPherson|November 24th, 2010|Categories: Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Low light, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, fall, flight, flying, Gray Ghost, Gray Ghosts, harrier, harriers, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, hovering, male, marsh, Northern Harrier, raptors, wetlands|

I will have more opportunities with northern harriers in better light this winter and while I wouldn't consider this image perfect, I am happy with the results I obtained while photographing this "Gray Ghost".

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