{"id":11765,"date":"2013-12-11T05:41:40","date_gmt":"2013-12-11T12:41:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=11765"},"modified":"2025-10-03T06:23:01","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T11:23:01","slug":"female-northern-harrier-in-flight-at-farmington-bay-waterfowl-management-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/12\/11\/female-northern-harrier-in-flight-at-farmington-bay-waterfowl-management-area\/","title":{"rendered":"Female Northern Harrier in flight at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FemaleFemale Northern Harrier in flight at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

It was brisk at Farmington Bay Wildlife Management Area yesterday morning with a low of -5\u00b0F but there were birds flying, the sun was shining and the views of snow-covered Antelope Island to the west and the Wasatch Mountain Range to the east were stunning.<\/p>\n

While I was photographing some ducks and grebes yesterday I spotted this female Northern Harrier in flight coming in from the south.<\/p>\n

When she flew over the water I was able to get a series of images of her against the sky.<\/p>\n

There don’t seem to be as many of the Northern Harriers at Farmington Bay as there have been in years past but they may be hunting further out in the marsh because a lot of the phragmites near the road have been removed because it is invasive.<\/p>\n

Even though winters can be harsh in the Salt Lake Valley and temperatures can be very low, I love it.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to view more of my Northern Harrier photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While I was photographing some ducks and grebes yesterday I spotted this female Northern Harrier in flight coming in from the south and when she flew over the water I was able to get a series of images of her against the sky.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":158996,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1022,697,348,26],"tags":[4021,2663,765,4070,4052,4122,3164,4169,4094,4006,4095],"class_list":["post-11765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-farmington-bay-wma","category-northern-harriers","category-utah","tag-bird-photography","tag-birds-of-prey","tag-circus-hudsonius","tag-female","tag-flight","tag-flying","tag-harriers","tag-hawks","tag-marsh","tag-northern-harrier","tag-wetlands"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-mia-mcpherson-7037.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-33L","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":35085,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/01\/23\/northern-harrier-in-flight-over-farmington-bay\/","url_meta":{"origin":11765,"position":0},"title":"Northern Harrier in Flight over Farmington Bay","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I spent a little bit of time yesterday morning photographing a few birds including this Northern Harrier in flight over Farmington Bay WMA.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Photo of a female Northern Harrier in flight over open water at Farmington Bay WMA in northern Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-flight-mia-mcpherson-6885.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-flight-mia-mcpherson-6885.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-flight-mia-mcpherson-6885.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-flight-mia-mcpherson-6885.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29031,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/10\/07\/a-hovering-harrier-head-down-and-eyes-on-the-ground\/","url_meta":{"origin":11765,"position":1},"title":"Hovering Harrier – Head Down and Eyes on the Ground","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I photographed this hovering Northern Harrier several years ago at Farmington Bay Water Fowl Management Area as it scanned the ground below for prey.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hovering Harrier, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/northern-harrier-hovering-mia-mcpherson-4534.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/northern-harrier-hovering-mia-mcpherson-4534.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/northern-harrier-hovering-mia-mcpherson-4534.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":43054,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/11\/09\/juvenile-northern-harrier-female-in-flight-over-farmington-bay\/","url_meta":{"origin":11765,"position":2},"title":"Juvenile Northern Harrier Female in Flight Over Farmington Bay","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday at Farmington Bay I was pleased to photograph this juvenile Northern Harrier female in flight as she went past me while I sat in a mobile blind.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile Northern Harrier female in flight, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-juvenile-female-mia-mcpherson-2650.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-juvenile-female-mia-mcpherson-2650.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-juvenile-female-mia-mcpherson-2650.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-juvenile-female-mia-mcpherson-2650.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17317,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/12\/12\/immature-northern-harrier-on-the-wing\/","url_meta":{"origin":11765,"position":3},"title":"Immature Northern Harrier On The Wing","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 12, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"So I missed out on seeing the Northern Harriers, Bald Eagles and American Kestrels at Farmington Bay WMA this morning but decided to post an older image of an immature Northern Harrier on the wing.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Immature Northern Harrier on the wing, in flight at Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/northern-harrier-flight-mia-mcpherson-9143.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/northern-harrier-flight-mia-mcpherson-9143.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/northern-harrier-flight-mia-mcpherson-9143.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/northern-harrier-flight-mia-mcpherson-9143.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11860,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/12\/14\/a-juvenile-female-northern-harrier-the-eyes-have-it\/","url_meta":{"origin":11765,"position":4},"title":"Juvenile Female Northern Harrier – The Eyes Have It","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 14, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Eye color can be used to sex juvenile Northern Harriers, brown for juvenile females and yellowish for the males and this harrier is a definite brown-eyed beauty.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female juvenile Northern Harrier in flight over the marsh at Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-female-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-9087.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-female-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-9087.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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But I do thoroughly enjoy photographing raptors like this Northern Harrier as they fly by.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Eye level Northern Harrier, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-eye-level-mia-mcpherson-5033.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-eye-level-mia-mcpherson-5033.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-eye-level-mia-mcpherson-5033.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-eye-level-mia-mcpherson-5033.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11765"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11765\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}