Page 2 Jerry Peltier

“Hang in there just a little Longer '' by Jerry Peltier

Jan.15' 09 it's high noon, cold clear 15km west wind and snow covered fields, I’m at one of my most favourite area's to hang out in the winter to shoot Northern Harrier's, just north of Point Pelee National Park.

I've been out there since 7:30am, and nothing flying all morning. Just getting ready to put the truck in drive to move on, then all of sudden I catch the sight of a male Harrier come up above a berm running along the road with the ditch below, wow! Now I’m excited.

To my surprise; there’s a male and female hunting the ditch bank, looking & listening for rodents and small birds. The snow cover also made for some great exposure & fast shutter speed to freeze the action for some very sharp hand held images, out of the truck window.

The Northern Harrier’s, used to be referred to as the Marsh Hawk, as they were often seen flying low over the marsh. They have a unique feature for a hawk, they have a round disc face like an owl, for hearing their prey, and they have good eye sight.

The conditions were perfect as they flew right towards me into the wind. As I mentioned at the beginning of the article was getting ready to leave the area, the time of day being high noon with harsh light. Wow! The light was perfect, with good under light, the shadows of both Harriers’ cast on the sparkling snow. This pair of Northern Harrier's put on a 40 min show for me, even with a 5 minute intermission in there. It was one unforgettable opportunity I’ll never forget & could have missed.

Just hang in there a little longer, you never know.

Jerry Peltier