AT LAST....THE NORTHERN HARRIER, Circus cyaneus, BUT FIRST WHAT HAPPENED FIRST...THE THIRD INSTALLMENT

When last we left "Banded" she had just come out of her tree with purpose.  She then headed for the sky....

  And she's a beauty!

 She soars.

 And does an about face in the air and...

   ...soars some more.  Then curves and heads into the distance.

She heads into the distance.  See the top of a yellow and black sign just left of bottom center?  Send your eye straight up and just at the top of the cloud is the Red-tailed Hawk.

See her?

In the meantime a second  Red-tailed Hawk soars in from the right and starts in the same direction as the previous hawk.  Note the shorter wing span....it's a MALE!

 He suddenly banks right.

And there is the female flying in from the right to meet him...and then they soared out of sight circling.  Private land is frustratingly limiting to the watcher.

See the Bald Eagle's nest just left of center?

Even with a long lens, all that can be seen is Mom's white head.  Time to move on.

But a short trip down the road and there are more Sandhill Cranes.

And a little further and there are a lot more.  They all seem to be traveling in the same progress.

It is a migrating flock of Sandhill Cranes foraging in a line and  having a meal along the way before either traveling on or bedding down for the night.  I wonder what is happening at the head of the line.

When I get to the head of the line it has stopped.  The cranes stare at the Canada Goose pair.  And the pair stares at the cranes.

One of the cranes takes to his wings.  The Geese remain still and  solid.

TO BE CONTINUED...