Back to Harrier Hill

Twas a very windy morning, with the temperature at 18°F when I returned to what I’ve come to call “Harrier Hill” (see this post). I parked along the road and waited for the birds to begin hunting.

Since I was there to photograph birds and automobile windows aren’t optical glass, plus heat from the car would create distorting heat waves as warm air escaped, the engine was off and the windows open.  There’s no such thing as bad weather to be outdoors, with proper clothing I was perfectly comfortable sitting there waiting.

For the first half hour there were no birds to be seen. Then, in the distance, near the hilltop, came the familiar form and gray color of a male harrier hunting –

He swooped and hovered, never coming close enough for a decent photo. After a couple of minutes he hovered near the ground, apparently having seen something of interest –

He never did drop to the ground and soon went up and over the ridge.

Before too long a distant raptor came into view, the camera revealed it to be a bald eagle –

And then there were two –

As the eagles circled, three common ravens that had been on the far side of the ridge rose to meet them. One of the eagles went into a long steep glide and was rapidly lost from view. Two of the ravens soon broke off contact and left, the third raven soared with the eagle for a while longer –

As the birds drew closer the raven dropped away and the eagle came even closer –

The light feathers beneath the wings and the dark feathers in the tail marked this bald eagle as late in its fourth year but the completely white head indicates that it is virtually an adult.

Still the ravens flew, but no more harriers, no owls and no more eagles.