Northern Harrier - Posing

Because of the windy conditions on my recent trip to the Bolivar Peninsula, I thought I might have an opportunity to get some flight shots of Northern Harriers. Instead, the only Harrier photo ops I had were of the birds perched on a post. Images of the birds taking off were either rump shots or of the vehicle that initiated the take-off. I am not complaining. The two Harriers, or the same Harrier on different days, were/was very cooperative allowing me to move my blind (the car) closer than usual and adopting a variety of poses. The 5 images shown below are of the same bird. I may later post images taken on a different day and request opinions about the possibility of it being the same bird.

Northern Harrier - Bolivar Peninsula, TX - April 2021
Olympus E-M1X with 150-400mm f4.5 TC lens @ 400mm
1/2000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 1600


Northern Harrier - Bolivar Peninsula, TX - April 2021
Olympus E-M1X with 150-400mm f4.5 TC lens @ 400mm
1/2000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 1250


Northern Harrier - Bolivar Peninsula, TX - April 2021
Olympus E-M1X with 150-400mm f4.5 TC lens @ 350mm
1/2000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 1000


Northern Harrier - Bolivar Peninsula, TX - April 2021
Olympus E-M1X with 150-400mm f4.5 TC lens @ 335mm
1/2000 sec at f/7.1, ISO 3200


Northern Harrier - Bolivar Peninsula, TX - April 2021
Olympus E-M1X with 150-400mm f4.5 TC lens @ 335mm
1/2000 sec at f/7.1, ISO 3200

David Sparks

I retired in 2005 after 40 years of research and teaching at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (24 years), the University of Pennsylvania (8 years) and the Baylor College of Medicine (8 years). Photography is my retirement hobby.

Nature photography, especially bird photography, combines a number of things that I really enjoy: bird-watching, being outdoors, photography, travel, messing about with computers, and learning new skills and concepts.  I now spend much of my time engaged in these activities.

David Sibley in the preface to The Sibley Guide to Birds wrote "Birds are beautiful, in spectacular as well as subtle ways; their colors, shapes, actions, and sounds are among the most aesthetically pleasing in nature."  My goal is to acquire images that capture the beauty and uniqueness of selected species as well as images that highlight the engaging behaviors the birds exhibit.