In the UK, Hen Harriers Circus cyaneus spend their summers on upland moors, nesting amongst the deep heather. They are one of our most treasured upland species, famous for their spectacular displays of sky-dancing and aerial exchanges of food during the breeding season. Sadly, Hen Harriers are also one of our most persecuted birds of […]
Tag: Circus cyaneus
Hen Harrier is Actually Two Different Species
New research confirms that the hen harrier (Circus cyaneus), a medium-sized bird of prey found in parts of North America and Eurasia, is two different species of bird that are only distantly related. The study, led by Dr. Graham Etherington of the University of California’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and the Earlham Institute, explores the […]
My Favorite Bird Photos of 2013
At the end of each year I like to go back and look at the bird photographs I have taken and choose the ones I like the best for a “favorite bird photo” post. I try to pick at least one photograph from each month however some months were photographically prolific, others not so much. […]
Birds of Delevan National Wildlife Refuge
According to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex website, Delevan National Wildlife Refuge comprises 5,797 acres, including seasonal marsh, permanent ponds, and uplands. It is predominately a hunting refuge for waterfowl and pheasant. Wildlife observation takes place from the county roads, on the perimeter of the refuge. There is one notable exception to this, the […]
Female Hen Harrier Hunting
This morning at Oe I photographed this female Hen Harrier as it hunted small passerines in the reeds. The reeds at Oe have lots of Reed, Meadow and Masked Bunting, along with Zitting Cisticola, Eurasian Siskin, Brambling, Oriental Greenfinch and Chinese Penduline Tit – any of which would be targeted by a harrier. This particular […]
My Favorite Bird Photos of 2012
At the end of each year I like to go back and look at the bird photographs I have taken and choose the ones I like the best for a “favorite bird photo” post. I usually choose one photo for each month but this year I have thrown in some extras, probably, for one reason […]
The Northern Harrier AKA Marsh Hawk
The Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) was also known as the Marsh Hawk in the United States and is known as the Hen Hawk in Eurasia (click on photos for full sized images). It breeds in the northern part of the northern hemisphere. On this Wikipedia commons map, the light green denotes breeding summer visitor, the […]