Northern Harrier Out My Window

This morning I looked out my kitchen window to watch my birds and a bird of prey zipped past low over the ground in the vacant lot next to my house. It was a northern harrier hard after something on the ground. I saw the bird go to the ground, but didn't see it come up--it was in the tall grass. A few little birds flushed out of the area.

I sometimes have a sharp-shinned hawk or occasionally a merlin after the birds that frequent my feeders. I always hope they get the house sparrows and not the pretty or less common birds. In this case, I don't know what the harrier was after--maybe a mouse or rat from the field.

Good birding!