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The Northern Harrier and Owls page contains 52 images of Harriers hunting over Bolsa Chica Wildlife Refuge in Southern California and at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico (including a spectacular hunting scene at Bosque del Apache), plus male and female Snowy Owls, a pair of Barn Owls, and a Great Horned Owl, all taken near Mount Ranier in Washington State.
Click an image to open a larger version. Use your back button to return to this page.
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Raptor Section Index
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website. The Banner below leads to the Raptors Collection where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Links:
Eagles Red-Tailed Hawks Assorted Hawks Owl and Harrier Falcons & Kites Osprey
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Northern Harrier 2485
An adult female Northern Harrier in flight over Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico.
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Northern Harrier 2592
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Northern Harrier 2626
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A Juvenile Harrier shows both sides of its wings in this pair of images taken at great distance with an 850mm lens at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, NM.
One of few raptors in which the sexes look very different, males are white below and gray above, females are rusty buff with brown streaks below and brown above with white at the base of the tail. The rusty buff color on the underside of females lightens to an off-white as the weather gets warmer. Juveniles look like the females but with rust-orange below, dark brown wings and a very dark head.
They primarily hunt for small rodents (squirrels, mice and rats). Males sometimes take small birds. Harriers use both their eyes and ears to find prey, and they have very good hearing, enhanced by the stiff feathers of their face forming an owl-like facial disc which transmits sound. Harriers have also been known to take ducks and rabbits, which they then drown by holding them underwater.
Northern Harrier Takeoff X3752-53 XL
A 2005 x 890 version of the XL Composite image (4005 x 1725) showing a Juvenile Harrier taking off to hunt at Bosque del Apache.
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Northern Harrier Falcon Glide 2630-31
A Juvenile Northern Harrier in a steep glide with wings in a Falcon-like position to reduce drag (taken at great distance with an 850mm lens at the beginning of a shallow but Falcon-like dive).
Northern Harriers typically hunt in a low, slow flight pattern, using their sharp vision and hearing aided by an Owl-like facial disc to take a variety of prey. Mice, squirrels and other small mammals, small birds, reptiles, amphibians, and occasionally larger mammals and birds are on the menu. Holding their wings in a shallow V, Harriers fly nap of the earth, circling an area several times. Soft feathers help them fly silently to surprise their prey as they glide overhead and pounce.
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Northern Harrier 4134
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Northern Harrier 4129
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A female Northern Harrier gliding low over a field next to the marsh at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.
All of the Harriers below are females, with gray, barred under-wings, black wingtips and streaked breast. Upper wings are dark brown and the tail is banded with light and dark bars, with a white stripe at the base.
Northern Harrier 4131
A female Northern Harrier glides past the marsh in the Farm Loop at Bosque del Apache.
Northern Harriers prefer breeding and hunting on open fields and marshlands.
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Northern Harrier 4136
A female Harrier remains intent on the field below as she banks to show her barred underwing detail.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website. The Banner below leads to the Raptors Collection where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Links:
Eagles Red-Tailed Hawks Assorted Hawks Owl and Harrier Falcons & Kites Osprey
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Northern Harrier Head-on 5138
A female Northern Harrier flies directly towards the photographer while hunting a field at Bosque del Apache.
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Northern Harrier 5139
A female Harrier displays underwing detail as she soars overhead at Bosque del Apache.
In this image and several of those below, you can easily see the Owl-like facial disc which funnels sound waves toward the ears, allowing the Harrier to precisely locate scurrying prey.
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Northern Harrier 3206
A female Northern Harrier gliding over Bolsa Chica Wildlife Refuge in Southern California.
Note the lighter body color of this female. The rusty buff underside fades to white by Spring in cooler climates, but mild January weather of Southern California speeds up the color change.
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Northern Harrier 3207
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Northern Harrier 3208
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An adult female Northern Harrier, or Marsh Hawk, in flight over the Main Canal at Bolsa Chica. The flat facial disc is formed from stiffened feathers which amplify and direct sound to the ears.
Northern Harrier 3209
A female Harrier glides over the Main Canal at Bolsa Chica, scattering shorebirds in her wake.
When hunting a coastal migration stopover like Bolsa Chica, Harriers take shorebirds, waterfowl and sparrows to supplement their diet of field mice and squirrels, frogs and other amphibians, and rabbits.
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Northern Harrier X9088
An exceptionally large adult female Northern Harrier over Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge. Females are significantly larger than males, with large females 2-2.5 times the size of small males. The largest male Northern Harriers are about the same size as the smallest females (about 400 grams).
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Northern Harrier in Flight M
A composite showing detail crops of a head-on approach and a profile, cropped from 3207.
All of the landscape (horizontal) large version images linked from the thumbnails are 1500 pixels wide. Portrait (vertical) images are 1200 pixels tall (1290 pixels with title bar). Images designated with an “M” in the shot number are 5:4 aspect ratio, 1500 x 1290 with a title bar, or 1500 x 1200 without a title bar.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website. The Banner below leads to the Raptors Collection where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Links:
Eagles Red-Tailed Hawks Assorted Hawks Owl and Harrier Falcons & Kites Osprey
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Harrier Hunting 2466
A female Harrier glides with her wings in a V-configuration while hunting over a field at Bosque del Apache.
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Harrier Departing 2468
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Harrier Departing 2469
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The female Harrier has a white stripe at the base of its long, wedge-shaped barred tail. This distinctive white rump is often the first thing seen allowing identification at a distance.
Harrier Departing X3350
A female Northern Harrier just after takeoff, displaying the distinctive white stripe at the base of the tail.
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Harrier Hunting 5117
A pair of close flight portraits of a hunting female Northern Harrier at Bosque del Apache. Note the distinctive Owl-like facial disc which amplifies and directs sound to the bird’s ears.
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Harrier Hunting 5118
These images were taken as the Harrier entered the area for a spectacular hunting sequence. A series of images from this hunting sequence are displayed in the section immediately following.
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Northern Harrier Pounce X8984 M
A female Northern Harrier pounces on her prey in the marsh at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website. The Banner below leads to the Raptors Collection where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Links:
Eagles Red-Tailed Hawks Assorted Hawks Owl and Harrier Falcons & Kites Osprey
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Harrier Hunting 5124
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Harrier Hunting 5125
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A female Northern Harrier glides into an area at the beginning of a spectacular hunting sequence, taken at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge from 150 feet away at mid-afternoon with a 700mm lens.
Harrier Hunting 5127
The Harrier hears something of interest, possibly a panicking field mouse scurrying through the underbrush, and hovers silently over the area and uses her facial disc to localize the sound, drawing a bead on the prey.
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Harrier Hunting 5128 M
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Harrier Hunting 5131 M
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A female Northern Harrier hovering over a sound in a field, dangling her feet in anticipation of a pounce.
Harrier Hunting 5130 M
The female remains intent while hovering over the area, but cannot localize the sound.
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Harrier Hunting 5132 M
Note how the Harrier remains exactly over the same area, using her eyes and ears to locate the prey.
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Harrier Hunting 5134 M
The female Harrier drops lower, thinking she has found the prey, but eventually realizes she has missed it. She leaves for a while and circles the field beyond before returning silently for another pass over the area.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website. The Banner below leads to the Raptors Collection where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Links:
Eagles Red-Tailed Hawks Assorted Hawks Owl and Harrier Falcons & Kites Osprey
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Harrier Hunting 5142 M
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Harrier Hunting 5143 M
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The female Northern Harrier returns from her circuit over the next field to scan the area again in the hope that the field mouse has acquired a false sense of security and begun foraging again.
Harrier Hunting 5146 M
She hovers over the area, trying to acquire a visual or audible track on her prey, but cannot find it.
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Harrier Hunting 5150
Finally, the Harrier decides to leave the area and try another field.
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Harrier Hunting 5151 M
As the female Harrier flies silently away, she continues to scan the field below, looking for stirring creatures.
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Harrier Hunting 5152c
Unfortunately, nothing is moving below, so she raises her head and speeds away to another field.
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Northern Harrier Hunting Sequence XXL
A 1999 x 1290 version of the XXL Composite image (6015 x 3735) of a Northern Harrier hunting at Bosque del Apache in New Mexico.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website. The Banner below leads to the Raptors Collection where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Links:
Eagles Red-Tailed Hawks Assorted Hawks Owl and Harrier Falcons & Kites Osprey
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Barn Owls 7729
Barn Owls in Eatonville, near Mount Ranier, Washington.
The Barn Owl is the most widely distributed of the Owls, and is known by names such as the Ghost Owl and Screech Owl for its eerie appearance and its call. They have a heart-shaped face and a light gray-brown front, a golden-brown back and wings, and small speckles. The female is larger than the male. Barn Owls are nocturnal and primarily eat rodents.
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Great Horned Owl 7722
The Northwestern Great Horned Owl is an Eagle Owl. It is the 2nd largest of the North American Owls after the Snowy Owl shown below. It is a heavily-built Owl with prominent ear-tufts, a large head, barred underside and a mottled brown back. The exceptional binocular vision and hearing of these owls allow them to pinpoint prey in very low light conditions.
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The extremely large eyes of the Eagle Owls are fixed in their sockets, so the Owl must turn the entire head to follow a subject. Their necks can rotate 270 degrees. They have better visual and aural depth perception and better perception of sound elevation than humans. The ears are set asymmetrically in the head (the right ear is generally higher) and the ears are set at different angles, allowing the bird to precisely pinpoint a sound by moving its head until the sound is the same in both ears. Owls hunt by watching for prey from a high perch or by flying low over an area looking for prey activity especially near burrows or openings in the ground. They pounce on prey with their talons, which can exert 300 PSI of crushing force and are very sharp. They can eat nearly anything.
Eagle Owl HS5966
A detail crop of a Eurasian Eagle Owl (one of the largest species of Owls). Unlike the Great Horned Owl, which has yellow eyes, the Eurasian Eagle Owl has striking orange eyes. The Eagle Owl is nocturnal and hunts by eye and ear.
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Snowy Owl Female 7699
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Snowy Owl Female 7700
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The female Snowy Owl differs from the male in that it has dark bars on a white background. The males are all white with a few dark markings near the tail (see further below) and are smaller than females. Snowy Owls are the largest Owl species in North America. Closely related to the Eagle Owls, they are in the genus Bubo with Horned Owls, which do not exhibit a pronounced facial disc. Snowy Owl ear tufts are generally hidden.
Snowy Owl Female 7706 M
Snowy Owls have yellow eyes which stand out prominently from their white faces. They hunt both by day and by night, but prefer hunting in relatively low light. They hunt either from an elevated perch or by flying low over the ground. They sit in the same place for long periods, making it easy to get these portraits.
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Snowy Owl Female 7709 M
Snowy Owls breed in the Arctic, and winter in Canada and the northern US, although some go further south. Their plumage is adapted for camouflage in the Arctic snow and tundra, and they tend to stand out in a forest. They often winter along shorelines and prefer open areas that look like tundra, but sometimes winter in forests.
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Snowy Owl Female 7714
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Snowy Owl Female 7717
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In their Arctic breeding grounds, Snowy Owls rely primarily on Lemmings and other small rodents, but in their wintering grounds they will take small mammals like mice, larger mammals like rabbits, squirrels, rats marmots and moles, and several bird species including ducks, geese, ptarmigan, shorebirds, and even owls.
Snowy Owl Male 7690
A male Snowy Owl in its characteristic all white plumage enjoying a sunny spot in the forest near Mt. Ranier. The older a male is, the less dark markings are visible. This is a mature male, with nearly pure white plumage.
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Snowy Owl Male 7693
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Snowy Owl Male 7707
A male Snowy Owl perched in the forest near Mt. Ranier.
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Snowy Owls are mostly monogamous, but the pair bond can be rather weak and males sometimes mate with two different females whose nests are in the same area. Snowy Owls nest on the ground. Sometimes they scrape a nest into the top of a mound or build a nest on a boulder for good visibility near hunting areas.
Snowy Owls 7707 7715 VLG
A 1500 x 1071 version of the VLG Composite image (2486 x 1775) of male and female Snowy Owls near Mount Ranier in Washington State.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website. The Banner below leads to the Raptors Collection where a Gallery can be selected.
Direct Links:
Eagles Red-Tailed Hawks Assorted Hawks Owl and Harrier Falcons & Kites Osprey
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Click the Display Composite above to return to the Raptors Index (or use the navigation bars below to select another section or page)
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