Crow Chaser

I drove out to the Ridgefield NWR this morning (Aug. 12, 2014) and found that many of the grass fields had been mowed and numerous large bales of hay were left for later pick up.  Hawks, Northern Harriers, Crows and Turkey Vultures were using the freshly cut fields for relatively easy pickins of mice and voles.  I observed in at least a couple instances where Northern Harriers were actively chasing the crows not only on the ground but also the crows that flew to nearby trees attempting to escape the harrier’s wrath.  This is a shot of an immature Northern Harrier making an in flight turn for another dive at the crows.  I’m ID-ing this bird as immature primarily due to its almost turquoise eye color–mature harriers have yellow eyes.    Canon 5D Mark III, 1/1250, f4, ISO 1250, 500mm, 9:51 a.m.

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