Getting a Glimpse of the Gray Ghost

Ever since Eve e-mailed me a day after New Years telling me she thought that she saw a male Northern Harrier, we both have been chasing after this Gray Ghost for a closer look. First we tried the area that Eve spotted him first, which was the east trail on Rios... after a month of looking and spotting him too far away sitting on a mound in the middle of the lagoon, I decided to try looking for him on the east side of the I-5 freeway.

The last few days have been foggy at the coast but just past the freeway on the east side the fog wasn't as bad and the sun was starting to burn off the coastal marine layer. I had just parked my van and walked onto the Santa Carina trail head for the third day in a row looking for the male Northern Harrier, often referred to as the "Gray Ghost".  Walking towards the huge eucalyptus tree I saw a raptor coming in fast over the hill from the east... It was him! He came towards me too fast and as I focused my camera on the Harrier, he flew by with the sunlight to his back. But I finally had a shot of the Gray Ghost!

Male Northern Harriers have gray color plumage on top of wing and back and tail with dark tipped primary flight fingers.  Also the tips of the secondary feathers are dark in color. Their underside is mostly white with some spotting on their belly and darker gray around the face and neck. They may not bond with just one female but may bond with as many as five in his territory. He will help pick a nest site and may start the platform for it. He also provides food for all his females and nestlings according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. As fast as he appeared he fluttered and glided into the marshes and soon I lose sight of him. 

My last shot of the Gray Ghost in the haze of the foggy morning. As he flies further and further east, my mind is screaming... come back! LOL... I check my camera and review the photos to make sure I wasn't imagining this ghost-like raptor. This sighting of the male Northern Harrier has re-energized me to keep hunting till I get the photos I'm looking for. Time to call on the best spotter I know... Eve Martin!

I e-mailed Eve and said that I got a few shots but not really any that I was happy with, would she like to join in the hunt for the male Harrier in the morning? She was happy to come to Santa Carina and see if she could spot the elusive Harrier with me. We were hit with low morning fog but soon it cleared enough for us to see for miles. There were no sightings of the male Harrier but we sure got a show from the pair of White-tailed Kites that are nesting near the lookout. Here is a shot of the male kite coming in with prey and the female is getting set to take the prey in an aerial prey exchange!

The male moves the prey to one side...

The female has flown in right behind the male.

She is coming closer.

She is directly below the male.

As he is ready to hand the prey off to his mate, the male positions the prey directly in front of the female's beak.

The female reaches out with both talons and grabs the prey from the male. The male has let go of the prey and flies out of her way. 

The female surges forward with her gift from her mate and looks for a place to eat her meal.

The male escorts her from behind making sure there are no intruders that may try to steal her prize.

 

She is enjoying her gift from the male on a snag near the nest tree. The female has been sitting in the nest in an incubating position so I am pretty sure she has at least one egg and might be working more.

The male White-tailed Kite stands guard as his mate enjoys the vole, a small rodent resembling a mouse, that he brought for her.

 

Done eating, the female goes back on incubation duty. 

 

A shot of the male in a nearby snag near the nest tree standing guard. We didn't see the male Harrier today but you can be sure we will be hunting for the elusive Gray Ghost! It's time for us to leave and head for home.

We decided to stop by east Rios to see if the male Harrier may be there but he was nowhere to be found. However, we did spot a male American Kestrel on top of a large snag with prey.

Off he goes with his lizard and it's time for us to get home too.

 

Have a super weekend everyone!