{"id":20564,"date":"2015-02-24T05:35:21","date_gmt":"2015-02-24T12:35:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=20564"},"modified":"2025-10-03T08:58:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T13:58:11","slug":"a-gray-ghost-on-a-gray-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/02\/24\/a-gray-ghost-on-a-gray-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Gray Ghost On A Gray Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"GrayGray Ghost – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/1000, ISO 800, +1.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 270mm, natural light, not baited
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Three years ago on a very gray morning I photographed this male Northern Harrier; the Gray Ghost, in flight along the causeway to Antelope Island State Park.<\/p>\n

The lighting conditions were poor at best, but the harrier was cooperative and made several passes close to the edge of the road, some times so close I had to zoom back to get the entire harrier in the frame.<\/p>\n

Three years ago it was common for me to be able to photograph harriers along the causeway to and from the island but this past winter seeing them there hasn’t been common at all.<\/p>\n

It might be because the lake has receded far from the shoreline, this incredibly mild winter, a low vole population, or a local decline in the population of Northern Harriers.<\/p>\n

I can’t be sure, it might be all of the reasons listed.<\/p>\n

What I can be sure of is the excitement I feel having a Gray Ghost in my viewfinder, gray day or not.<\/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":"

Three years ago on a very gray morning I photographed this male Northern Harrier; the Gray Ghost, in flight along the causeway to Antelope Island State Park. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":159054,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[511,27,1022,348,26],"tags":[4004,4021,2663,765,4052,2813,349,2783,3164,4033,4169,156,4062,767,4006,153,4050,4328,373],"class_list":["post-20564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-northern-harriers","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-bird-photography","tag-birds-of-prey","tag-circus-hudsonius","tag-flight","tag-gray-day","tag-gray-ghost","tag-harrier","tag-harriers","tag-hawk","tag-hawks","tag-low-light-2","tag-male","tag-marsh-hawk","tag-northern-harrier","tag-raptors","tag-snow","tag-snowy","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t