I made my first trip to the Pole Farm in Mercer County yesterday. The Pole Farm is best known among birders as an excellent Short-eared Owl habitat, and many visit the farm at dusk during the wintertime to watch them hunt. While the owls usually come out a little before sundown, around 4PM this time of year, they have been reported to occasionally hunt earlier in the afternoon, especially on cloudy days. Although yesterday was sunny and windy, weather that the owls are not particularly fond of, I went to the Pole Farm around 2PM, hoping to get lucky.

When I arrived, I found a Northern Harrier (this species was formerly called a Marsh Hawk) circling a field, flying around in a relaxed manner. In the past, when I’ve seen harriers, they usually fly fast and along a straight path in a very direct fashion, making them quite difficult to photograph, even when they come close. Those at the Pole Farm, on the other hand, seemed to float around the fields, touching down in the grass quite often. These harriers seemed to be out for a stroll while others seem like they’re late for the bus!

I managed to get a couple of nice shots of the harriers despite the cold. While the temperature was in the high twenties, wind chill made it feel like single digits, and my hands in particular felt it. Around 4PM, the owls came out as predicted, but I only managed to capture a couple environmental shots of them before the sun went behind the clouds and eventually behind the horizon.

On my way out, I found a Short-eared Owl sitting in some short grass maybe ten feet off of the dirt road. I stopped my vehicle about thirty feet away, and began to get out to take its picture, but a few individuals walking along the road from the other direction did not see the owl and spooked it before I managed to get a photo. While I don’t have anything to show for it, the experience was quite memorable.

I’m returning to the Pole Farm today to try my hand at shooting the hawks and owls again. My friend Kim will be traveling from Pennsylvania to join me, so I hope the birds put on a good show!

Techs: Canon 1D Mark II N, 300mm f/2.8L IS USM, 2x Mark II Extender, 1/2000s, f/6.3, ISO 500.  To order this print, purchase stock rights, or view other photos I have for sale, please visit my website at www.karipost.com.