genemiller wrote:
Fantastic photo, Arash! It was a real coup getting the opportunity to shoot the "Grey Ghost" in golden light, and you nailed it. The male seems to appear less frequently than the female at my location in Breezy Point also. I wonder if this has something to do with the Harrier's hunting habits?
GENE
Thanks Gene, I think ghost refers to the fact that it is a very evasive bird. they fly very low and can pop/ disappear suddenly so maybe that's a factor as well
Wonderful image, but it sure looks like a female Harrier to me: brown instead of grey, with brown wing tips instead of black. I suppose it could be a juvenile male -- both male and female juvenile Harriers are brown on top with rufous breasts. Check Sibley or iBird for drawings and photos to see what I mean.
My point about the ID is minor and is not meant to detract from the excellence of the photo.
BluesWest wrote:
Wonderful image, but it sure looks like a female Harrier to me: brown instead of grey, with brown wing tips instead of black. I suppose it could be a juvenile male -- both male and female juvenile Harriers are brown on top with rufous breasts. Check Sibley or iBird for drawings and photos to see what I mean.
My point about the ID is minor and is not meant to detract from the excellence of the photo.
John
Thank you,
I have photographed harriers for a while, I have to say this one is def a young male without any doubt to me.
The plumage in the photo is grey not brown, the warm light has caused warm tones but it is not brown. Young females have dark eyes (not orange) and plumage is saturated rusty brown. Only male harriers have brown spots like the one in the photo in the belly area. Males also have a set feathers (lower part of the wing) with black tips.
There might be regional variations but this is the case in California.
as both species mature, their eyes turn yellow and male plumage becomes more pale.
I will post a photo of a female later so you can see.
