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...

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

                                           Circus Cyaneus          

Kingdom  Animalia
Phylum     Chordata
Class         Aves
Order        Falconiformes
Family      Accipitridae
Genus       Circus

Species     Cyaneus

But before we get to the Harrier there was the moment of wondering just how a Sandhill Crane got over a fence that he was hard up against.

 See him near center?  Yes he has red at the top as do the metal fence posts on other side of him.

                                             Up in place he goes.

                                        A slight curve to the right.

                                 Back toward the fence.

 It looked almost as if he did a bounce on the wire with his feet but it might well have been a bounce up from the wings.

                      And a landing as pert as you please.

	And then he looks back and waits.                               And waits some more.  And then I look away.
	And when I look back there is the female striding on ahead .
	And off she strides without looking back. And keeps going....  And then they both duck their heads to eat....  Just as the Canada Geese appear... The lead geese seem to be getting into a scrum.                                    They sort it out. And suddenly the lead two start to veer away. The Gander calls madly after them but they don't turn so he follows. And then there is nothing but twigs. I look up and there is a Red-tailed Hawk, likely a formel by the wing span,  seemingly out of nowhere. She makes a right turn. Goes into a glide. And lands in a tree.  See her? Tallest row of tree just past center of the photo.  She is landing far left, a third of  the way down. See her now? She is a very big girl and, something I rarely see here, she's wearing a band.  She continues to check me out. The her head goes up.  She has spied something else of interest. It goes left. She turns right. And suddenly she's preening. Then she flips abruptly back around with focus. Crouches. And she's off! MUCH MORE TO COME...