Raptor

Northern harrier

Circus hudsonius

A slim, owl-faced hawk that quarters low over the fields and marshes of the Samish and Skagit flats. Present all year, with more birds in winter.

Seasonality

Peaks across 4 months. Present year-round; numbers rise from October to March as wintering birds join local residents.

Glides a few feet above the grass with its wings held in a shallow V.
Hunts by sound as well as sight, using an owl-like facial disk.
Often works the same fields as short-eared owls, and the two sometimes squabble over prey.

Set up along a field edge and let the bird work toward you on its regular route.
Use continuous autofocus with a tracking or zone area; the low, tilting flight is hard to follow.
Pale gray adult males ("gray ghosts") are the prize; brown females and young birds are far more common.

Stay on dikes, roads and trails; don't walk into fields after a bird.
Harriers nest on the ground in tall grass in spring, so don't linger in one spot in breeding habitat.