4/3/20
On my way back from Salem today, I took a long way home so as to take in the scenery and do a little birding. I remembered that Morgan Lake on the nearby refuge was probably open, and so went there. There were a fair amount of the usual ducks and geese there, but it will be worth stopping there during this month as this is the best time for migrating Loons and Grebes and other ducks.
On my way back down the hill from the berm/dam were a pair of Northern Harriers flying around about 100 yards away. While the female took off, the male stayed his distance but began making wide circles, which gave me the opportunity to try some “hawks in flight” photos. I ended up taking about 160 of them (yea, at 10 frames per second they add up fast) and these are the best ones. After about the 5th time the bird circled near me, he finally kept on going over my head, so I figured he had been intending to pass over me all along, and so finally did so. Enjoy.
MALE NORTHERN HARRIER