{"id":12758,"date":"2014-01-06T05:27:38","date_gmt":"2014-01-06T12:27:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=12758"},"modified":"2025-10-03T07:01:50","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T12:01:50","slug":"eye-level-with-a-northern-harrier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/01\/06\/eye-level-with-a-northern-harrier\/","title":{"rendered":"Eye Level With A Northern Harrier"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"EyeEye level with a Northern Harrier – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/2000, ISO 640, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though I have been a bird photographer for some time now, I still get a thrill when I am eye level with a bird of prey because it feels as if I am more strongly connected to the raptor when they fly in close at eye level.<\/p>\n

This female Northern Harrier was hunting along the side of the causeway to Antelope Island State Park<\/span><\/a> when I photographed it.<\/p>\n

Most of the time the harrier had her eyes on the ground but in this frame she looked directly towards me.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

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

Even though I have been a bird photographer for some time now I still get a thrill when I am eye level with a bird of prey because it feels as if I am more strongly connected to the raptor when they fly in close at eye level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":159012,"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":[511,27,348,26],"tags":[4004,4021,765,11978,7934,4070,4052,4122,4033,4169,2386,3970,767,4006,4063,4018,373],"class_list":["post-12758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-northern-harriers","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-bird-photography","tag-circus-hudsonius","tag-desert-island","tag-eye-level","tag-female","tag-flight","tag-flying","tag-hawk","tag-hawks","tag-hawks-of-utah","tag-hunting","tag-marsh-hawk","tag-northern-harrier","tag-raptor","tag-sky","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-eye-level-mia-mcpherson-5921.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-3jM","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14349,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/02\/15\/a-northern-harrier-along-the-shore-of-the-great-salt-lake\/","url_meta":{"origin":12758,"position":0},"title":"Northern Harrier Along The Shore Of The Great Salt Lake","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 15, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Two years ago I could often find Northern Harriers hunting along the causeway to Antelope Island State Park and I photographed a series of images of this female Northern Harrier on February 16th of that year.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Northern Harrier with the Great Salt Lake in the background, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/northern-harrier-great-salt-lake-mia-mcpherson-3936.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/northern-harrier-great-salt-lake-mia-mcpherson-3936.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/northern-harrier-great-salt-lake-mia-mcpherson-3936.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/northern-harrier-great-salt-lake-mia-mcpherson-3936.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6782,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/12\/13\/female-northern-harrier-in-flight\/","url_meta":{"origin":12758,"position":1},"title":"Female Northern Harrier in flight","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Typically I see far more Northern Harriers in the winter here in Utah than I do during the breeding season which might be partly due to the harriers preferring to nest within marshy wetland areas which are in abundance around the Great Salt Lake.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female Northern Harrier in flight over the Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/northern-harrier-female-mia-mcpherson-1446.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-female-mia-mcpherson-1446.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, 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-gliding-breeze-mia-mcpherson-6147.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-gliding-breeze-mia-mcpherson-6147.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-gliding-breeze-mia-mcpherson-6147.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-gliding-breeze-mia-mcpherson-6147.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":119554,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/01\/07\/northern-harrier-my-first-raptor-of-2024\/","url_meta":{"origin":12758,"position":4},"title":"Northern Harrier – My First Raptor of 2024","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The first raptor I photographed in 2024 was this young male Northern Harrier that I found near the refuge auto tour loop at Bear River MBR on New Year's Day.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Young male Northern Harrier on the wing, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/northern-harrier-immature-male-mia-mcpherson-1071.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/northern-harrier-immature-male-mia-mcpherson-1071.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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