not bothering us, but gorgeous visitor today....great northern harrier

[21hens-incharge]

Holy hawk aart

That is some maneuverability. Hawks scare the bajesus out of me. I think they are beautiful I just don't want them eating my gals.

That slow motion of the Great Northern is really interesting. It was like he was eying something there. Cool looking birds but for me still scary.

 

[Ole and Lena]

We have a 200+ acre wetland out back and these birds are common visitors. They don't seem to even notice the chickens, even when they are hanging out in the open pasture right at the edge of the cattails. I'm much more concerned with the Red Tail hawks, various owls and lately Goshawks that have been hanging around.

With the last couple of early/hard winters from the Arctic through Canada and the Midwest, there have been some unusual bird sightings. This duck season I bagged an eider which is extremely rare in MN. The last 2 winters I've had a pair of Gyr Falcons hanging around the area. They usually aren't seen South or West of Hudson Bay.

 

[WthrLady]

Yup. Saw a goshawk yesterday afternoon.

Stunning bird.

 

[sourland]

and as soon as it is done processing, here is the short slow motion video. I love raptors, as long as they stay out of the chickens!

http://youtu.be/mjwNutBCcn8

I too have a love/hate relationship with raptors. A hunting Northern Harrier is a beautiful sight to watch.