A male Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) sweeping past on long, slender wings casts a brief glance toward the camera as he quarters low over the landscape. His pale gray plumage and black wingtips, earning him the nickname “Gray Ghost”, stand out against the muted winter tones of marshland below. Unlike most hawks, the Northern Harrier relies heavily on its acute hearing, aided by its owl-like facial disk, to locate small mammals and birds hidden in the marsh. This fleeting look captures the quiet intensity of a master of low, buoyant flight, often seen on the patrol over marshes.
A male Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) sweeping past on long, slender wings casts a brief glance toward the camera as he quarters low over the landscape. His pale gray plumage and black wingtips, earning him the nickname “Gray Ghost”, stand out against the muted winter tones of marshland below. Unlike most hawks, the Northern Harrier relies heavily on its acute hearing, aided by its owl-like facial disk, to locate small mammals and birds hidden in the marsh. This fleeting look captures the quiet intensity of a master of low, buoyant flight, often seen on the patrol over marshes.