Harrier in the Morning

There’s an extensive grassland in northcentral Pennsylvania that probably had its origin in Native American agriculture. The first European settlers would have found those clearings convenient places to begin farming. Farming continued on the area until it passed into public ownership and was planted to grasses and forbs native to North America.

Adjacent to the grassland is a wetland: partially open water, partially a cattail marsh. It has a few scattered trees, some water-filled potholes and a languid stream. The entire area, grassland and wetland, is superb wildlife habitat and so it’s a place I visit often.

One morning, as I walked the border between wetland and grassland, a flock of small birds flushed from the cattails in the wetland; they came right past me as they fled whatever flushed them.

It was only a moment until the answer presented itself – a female northern harrier –

The harrier landed on a nest box erected for kestrels and stayed there for a while as it searched for prey –

When the harrier took off she too flew past me to land on a limb that had fallen from an old black willow –

After spending some time on the fallen limb surveying the area for a meal, she again took flight and flew less than 100 yards to land on the stub of a fallen willow –

The harrier spent time on that perch slowly surveying her surroundings. Because she was relaxed and seemed comfortable with my presence, I slowly moved closer and then even closer, taking a photo every few steps. Still she looked for prey –

Eventually she took off to fly across the grassland and I lost sight of her against the distant woodland –

What a morning! The closest I’ve ever been to a harrier and a cooperative one at that.