We’re nearing the peak of fall migration, yet I found few warblers this weekend. Instead, I was treated to a variety of sparrows and — best of all — had as close an encounter with a Northern harrier as one could hope to have.
As I made my way up the central trail at the Mercer Meadows Pole farm this morning, I spotted a dark blob sitting on the path 100 yards or so ahead of me. Ordinarily, it would be an Eastern cottontail or a robin or two in such a spot.
As I walked closer and began taking photos, I realized that what was hunkered down on the ground was a female Northern harrier. The bird sat calmly as I approached and didn’t take off until I was 30 to 40 feet away.
Miss Harrier (I suspect she was a young one) flew up the trail but not far, landing on a wooden stake just off the trail.
Again, I walked toward her, taking photos every 10 steps or so. I drew within 30 feet before she took to the sky, and I got the shot topping this post.
Getting so close to a raptor was a privilege and a thrill. I felt as if the bird had done me a favor. It was the highlight of the day and, in fact, the weekend.
There were other pleasures, to be sure. On Saturday, I took a meandering walk through Mercer Meadows starting on the Pole Farm side and crossing over to Reed-Bryan Farm. There, I noticed a lot of movement in a small tree and discovered three palm warblers flitting about.
Earlier that morning, I’d seen a black-throated green warbler but wasn’t quick enough to get a photo.
Both days gave me several opportunities to get shots of sparrows. For once, song sparrows were in the minority. Savannah sparrows were abundant, and I also spotted a few swamp sparrows.
I wasn’t able to get a photo of one other highlight of the weekend, which came Friday evening as my wife and I stepped onto our patio before sunset. High above us in one our trees, a screech owl was calling.
We couldn’t see it but we were thrilled with another near encountered with one of our feathered friends. 🦅
Ooh, Dan! Looks like you had a really successful birding weekend. Love the photos.