The Gray Ghost

What do you think of when you hear the term “gray ghost?” For some it brings to mind the football player, Tony Canadeo, who played for the Green Bay Packers many years ago and earned his place in the Hall of Fame. Some people think automatically of of Bruce Wayne’s hero in Batman. Others think of Confederate soldier Mosby who led raids on Federal supply lines during the US Civil War and was known for his ability to appear, disappear, and blend in with locals. But did you know there is a hawk that is known as the gray ghost? The male northern harrier has that nickname.

The Gray Ghost

Males have different colouring than females. All the pictures shown here are male northern harriers.

The Gray Ghost It flys just above and among the tops of the tall grasses.

Diet

Northern harriers eat small rodents such as mice and voles. The location of these pictures appears to have many mice and voles. Amongst other things they eat small rabbits and other birds. They say many farmers like northern harriers because they eat mice that damage crops. Harriers are sometimes called “good hawks” because they pose no threat to poultry as some hawks do.

The Gray Ghost – The one above has blood on its claws from the last catch.

How they Hunt

Northern harriers hunt by flying low to the ground in open areas during the daytime. I frequently see them flying in the late afternoon before the owls come up. When hunting, harriers circle an area several times listening and looking for prey. They can hover and make sharp turns. When they spot prey, they swoop down and grab the prey with their sharp claws. They will also steal prey from owls, which I have seen them try to do at the location pictured.

The Gray Ghost

Native American Symbolism

According to Texas Parks and Wildlife some Native American tribes believe that seeing a hawk on your wedding day is a sign of a long, happy marriage.

This bird has been ghost like and elusive to me. This is the first year I have seen it up close enough to get good shots. Maybe it was tired of the attention the owls were getting. Have a great rest of your week.

14 thoughts on “The Gray Ghost”

  1. Really nice photos and historical comparison snippets. There is yet an area nearby me that I can return time and again to find certain birds. Am going to try in earnest this year to go to some refurbished national habitat locations during April when I hope migration will be on to capture more song birds in natural settings. There is a wetland area I need to explore a bit more to see if I can find raptors hunting that I can get close too. It’s possible to walk in these areas Nd I picked up a small drape over blind like curtain that I can use to drape over me and light, portable three-legged stool. Ever hopeful.

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    1. I’ve gone to this place for 5-6 years and I was told they were there. I never seen one so close, or close enough to get a picture with a zoom. It has come by where we are allowed to stand a few different days lately. I see the females on windy days fly in circles at one end of the trail and chase each other. There have been as many as a dozen females there. Usually you see 2-3 though.

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      1. It’s a similar experience at my go-to place close to home. You’re almost guaranteed to see a female harrier (if not several) on any given day most of the year. The males show up occasionally, rarely in camera range. But if we didn’t face those kinds of challenges, birding photography wouldn’t be as much fun. Well, maybe. 🙂

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