Day 8 - Grassland Raptors
About 1 1/2 hours north of our home, the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge is one of our “must visit” places during the winter months. Around late November to early December, the refuge is visited by one of the most iconic raptors of the northeast - the Short-eared owl. The appearance of these beautiful owls brings with it hordes of another visitors - birders and avian photographers.
As we entered the grounds, we were welcomed by a magnificent Red-tailed hawk (known as Millie to those who visit here regularly). It appears that Millie has taken on the role of Resident Avian Caretaker and is perhaps one of the most photographed individuals in the National Wildlife Refuge system!
We arrived at the refuge at approximately 3:00 PM, hoping that the owls would make an appearance early enough to be well lit by the waning sunlight. While most owls are nocturnal, Short-ears are “crepuscular”, species which are active in the twilight hours. Scanning the vast grasslands, we spotted a female Northern harrier, another bird commonly seen soaring low over the vegetation in search of an evening meal of insects and small mammals. The females sport a rich mahogany plumage while the less commonly seen males are predominantly gray - hence the common nick-name for them, “Gray ghosts”.
Northern Harrier - Nikon Z8 w/ Z180-600mm @600mm, 1/2000 sec, f/6.3, ISO 1100
Short-eared flyby
The harriers flew in fairly close to the viewing platform which made for nice photo-ops. Too early for the owls, however. The skies grew darker as daylight faded to twilight. The temps dropped quickly as the winds picked up and we found ourselves praying for an appearance of the owls sooner rather than later. The chilly air drove me back to the heat of the RAV4 where my wife and birding buddy had already taken cover. I no sooner got into the front seat when the owls finally decided to make their appearance. A total of five individuals were observed, and fortunately, one of the Short-ears flew right in front of our vehicle. I jumped out back into the cold, took aim, and fired away. Capturing images of these magnificent birds never gets old and is always worth the price of a little discomfort.
