{"id":37960,"date":"2016-04-07T05:16:59","date_gmt":"2016-04-07T11:16:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=37960"},"modified":"2024-08-04T03:38:33","modified_gmt":"2024-08-04T08:38:33","slug":"first-spring-northern-harrier-in-box-elder-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/04\/07\/first-spring-northern-harrier-in-box-elder-county\/","title":{"rendered":"First Spring Northern Harrier in Box Elder County"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FirstFirst Spring Northern Harrier – Nikon D810, f9, 1\/640, ISO 400, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

I went up to northern Utah yesterday hoping to see and photograph more Short-eared Owls and although I did see them they were off in the distance and not close enough to take high quality images.<\/p>\n

However, I was able to take quite a few images of a very cooperative first spring Northern Harrier that was perched on an old post next to the road in Box Elder County<\/span><\/a>. I’m not an expert at sexing immature harriers but I am fairly certain this is a male.<\/p>\n

\"FirstFirst spring Northern Harrier rousing – Nikon D810, f9, 1\/500, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

The harrier preened for a bit then roused it feathers while still keeping an eye on me. It was a very relaxed harrier and didn’t lift off when a large truck within 15 feet of it rumbled by. An adult Northern Harrier probably wouldn’t have been that sticky, at least that has been the case in my own experiences with them.<\/p>\n

\"Youngranchlands, Young Northern Harrier on one leg – Nikon D810, f9, 1\/500, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

After rousing and settling its feathers I expected the immature harrier to lift of and it did before I could take off my TC so every photo I have of it lifting off had a body part that was clipped. As soon as it finished rousing I should have taken my TC off. Live and learn.<\/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":"

I was able to take quite a few images of a very cooperative first spring Northern Harrier that was perched on an old post next to the road in Box Elder County.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":131792,"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":[27,1148,348,26],"tags":[2663,765,4098,898,5047,2783,3164,4033,4169,4067,4071,4062,4006,11852,4063,3199,2239,8917],"class_list":["post-37960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-northern-harriers","category-utah","tag-birds-of-prey","tag-circus-hudsonius","tag-desert","tag-fence-post","tag-first-spring","tag-harrier","tag-harriers","tag-hawk","tag-hawks","tag-immature","tag-juvenile","tag-male","tag-northern-harrier","tag-ranchlands","tag-raptor","tag-rousing","tag-sub-adult","tag-wooden-post"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/northern-harrier-immature-mia-mcpherson-3821.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-9Sg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":46738,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/05\/13\/two-months-of-photographing-a-cooperative-northern-harrier\/","url_meta":{"origin":37960,"position":0},"title":"Two Months of Photographing a Cooperative Northern Harrier","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 13, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"There was a very cooperative first spring male Northern Harrier in a location where I photographed Short-eared Owls last year in northern Utah and for two months I could reliably see and photograph it frequently.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Northern Harrier in his first Spring, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-box-elder-county-mia-mcpherson-7409.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-box-elder-county-mia-mcpherson-7409.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Northern Utah","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"It isn't often that I am able to be close enough to a Northern Harrier to take a portrait of one, in fact I can only think of one time that I've been that fortunate and that was in May of 2016.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Portrait of a First Spring male Northern Harrier, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-1st-spring-male-mia-mcpherson-4864.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-1st-spring-male-mia-mcpherson-4864.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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It more than made my 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":"Female Northern Harrier slowing down above the nest, Bear River National Wildlife Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-female-nesting-material-landing-mia-mcpherson-2112.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-nesting-material-landing-mia-mcpherson-2112.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/northern-harrier-female-nesting-material-landing-mia-mcpherson-2112.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 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