Over my many visits to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, I’ve seen scores of Northern harriers flying overhead and perched on poles or trees. Rarely do I see them relatively close by, as whenever I approach they scram.
Today was different. As I was walking up the central path to the woods, I spotted a harrier sitting on the ground at the edge of a path recently cut through the tall grasses in the big field the trail bisects.
Approaching slowly and as quietly as I could, I stopped a few times to take photos of the bird, a female. As I drew nearly even with the bird, approximately 25 yards away, I took a few more shots, then decided to check my camera settings.
After about 20 seconds of fiddling with my camera, I looked up to see the bird had flown away.
As I headed up the trail, at the next swath of cut grass I was surprised to see the harrier swoop in and sit near another female harrier. They were farther away than my previous encounter, and they sat for a minute or so before taking off simultaneously and flying away from me.
While I’ve taken a few photos of airborne harriers in the same frame over the years, this was the first time I can recall seeing two parked in close proximity. On a cold morning, it was a cool way to start the day. 🦅
The Jersey Birder 