Date: 4/12/25 5:15 pm From: William Flack via groups.io <sparvophile...> Subject: [NEBirds] Harrier and harried
This morning (April 12), I birded the sewage ponds at Grant (Perkins County). Lots of waterfowl on the ponds, and shorebirds starting to show up: among others, American Avocet (also saw some at Rock Creek Reservoir yesterday) and Wilson's Snipe (also seen at Imperial today).
As I watched the ponds, a Northern Harrier flew in. It spent some time over the ponds, seeming to follow the shoreline at times, generally at a height that I'd estimate in the 10–20-foot range. The ducks, both on the ponds and on the shore, didn't seem bothered by the presence of the harrier. I saw one Northern Shoveler hop from the bank into the water as the harrier flew over, but otherwise, even the small Green-winged Teal didn't appear to respond to it.
Shorebirds, however, seemed to react. I'd seen six avocet swimming placidly on the water, and they took to the air. Two snipe, which I hadn't seen before they flew, also headed skyward; and five unidentified yellowlegs, also not previously seen, circled over the pond, calling.
The "Birds of the World" account for Northern Harrier notes "Can capture swimming rails", so it's apparently not out of the question for them to pick prey off the water. Later, it says "In the breeding season, females may capture heavier prey than males, including virtually all large, nonpasserine bird prey", which latter might perhaps include waterfowl. I think that my bird was in immature plumage, though I culpably failed to make a note of that, so can't be sure. It wasn't a gray-and-white adult male, though.
