December 27 - Shawangunk Grasslands

       We've ventured north into Ulster County, NY to the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Reserve in the hopes of finding and photographing Short-eared owls and my personal favorite bird, the Northern Harrier.  No need to rush up here for these two birds since the harriers will be active pretty much throughout most of the day and the owls will generally start to hunt late in the afternoon.  It's fortunate for those of us who have made the trip up to this wonderful spot that the owls will often start their forays much earlier in the day than most other species of owls.  On top of that, the short-ears will hunt in open fields and are therefore much easier to spot.

       No sooner did we arrive than we spotted our first harrier.  The most dominant sex generally found in the field is the female. While the sex of many birds is difficult to tell, especially from a distance, the harriers are easy.  The females are a rich chestnut brown while the males are a light pale gray - hence the nickname, "Gray ghosts".  As might be expected, this first sighting is of the female.  With bright blue skies and the sun at our backs, photographing opportunities are pretty much perfect.
The harriers are masters of the air and can hover, cruise, drop down on a dime and take off in an almost vertical leap.  This bird was simply cruising along at a relatively higher altitude, just checking out the land below for small mammals or insects.  

        We have at least a dozen harriers skirting over the meadow and have to keep looking in all directions as the birds are flying just above the height of the grass to get a better vantage point at potential prey.  Another female was captured by the camera as it prepared to drop down for its next tasty morsel.  Much of the time, it is difficult to get decent shots of the harrier because it is flying so low that it is obscured by the grasses.  A little patience, however, and you can find one in close enough range and high enough to get a good photograph with good context.


     Eventually, one of the photographers on site notices a beautiful male behind us.  While the lighting is not as ideal as we like, anytime a Gray ghost is close enough to photograph, we seize the moment.
     The male continues to fly back and forth and his pale gray shading against a background of fading sunlight make getting good contrast almost impossible. But as in basketball, you'll never make the shot you don't take.  And so, shutters are furiously clicking away as we all make an attempt with higher and higher sensor sensitivities (known as ISO's to photographers) and unfortunately slower and slower shutter speeds.  Eventually, one of these shots will work and it then becomes worth all the effort.

     As luck would have it, one of the two males eventually lands on a post in the field and although he is backlit, the fact that is is stationary means that we will have the chance to get a nice sharp image of this handsome bird.

     The bird eventually grows anxious and takes off in pursuit of more prey.  As he does so, he flies into a more fortuitous lighting situation for us and we are able to get several decent shots of him in action.  My primary reason for choosing this bird as my all-time favorite is his ability to be a true master-of-the-wind.  When in flight, he is in complete control and watching his aerobatics is more entertaining than any ballet (well, that's my humble opinion).

     Well, the light is fading and the owls have decided to wait until it is almost dark to come out and play today.  Far off in the distance, I can see the owls clearly through my spotting scope, but the opportunities to get a decent photo are few and far between.  I take a few shots from way too far away realizing that this is an exercise in futility.  The results of my efforts prove me to be unfortunately prescient and the image below is only for documentary purposes to prove that the owls do in fact dwell in the grasslands during the winter months.

     It's about that time when not only is the prospect of photographing any of these wonderful birds no more than a  wish, but the reality is that we can barely even see them any longer.  As we pack up the gear and get ready to jump back into the relative warmth of the RAV4, a parting shot is just too good to pass up.  Another great day in the field has come to an end, but it's always a joy to be out here enjoying what Mother Nature has to offer.