Today is the first full day of winter, and I found time in the afternoon to visit Trenton marsh while still buzzing about my visits to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm yesterday.
I joined a group of birders there Saturday morning hoping to spot for a second time the wayward Townsend’s warbler that had been foraging in the cedars since mid-week. Alas, I had no luck with the warbler, which by now I hope is on its way west to its normal range beyond the Rocky Mountains.
The sun shone most of the day, and I went back to the Pole Farm yesterday afternoon about 4 p.m., hoping to see and photograph Northern harriers and short-eared owls, which emerge around sunset. While I would spot none of the latter, the first of three harriers appeared to the west.
As I started tracking and shooting it, I was aware that I had a slim hope for a shot of it transiting the setting sun. I was so focused on tracking the bird that I didn’t realize it flew almost directly overhead before flying out of sight.
Two other harriers emerged but were too far off even to snap a frame. Accepting that I got what I was going to get, I headed home to see what my camera had captured. Most of the shots were fuzzy or overly dark, but I found two frames that I felt worth sharing.
I typically aim to get a strong image of a bird first, putting its context in nature second. Given the challenging light and the onset of the winter solstice, I chose for the top of this post a moody wide shot of the harrier flying across the field in front of me. The bird’s wingtips are highlighted by the setting sun, and the bare trees in the background help convey the mood of the moment: a chilly few minutes before sundown at the solstice.
I include below a second image of the harrier backlit by the sun, which was moments away from dropping fully below the horizon. 🦅
The Jersey Birder 
The late-day light through the wings on both shots is stellar.
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