Northern Harrier - 07 Nov 2026
I drove down to Lake Erie Metropark this morning to look for shorebirds. A Hudsonian Godwit was seen yesterday by Scott Jennex and I was curious if it was still around. It wasn't. In fact, 3 Killdeer were the total shorebird count from visits to the Marina, the Service Road Bridge, and marsh west of the road to Cove Point. It didn't help that NW winds pushed all of the water out of the marshes and left only puddles. It was cloudy, cool (40ºF) and breezy (NW 13 mph) this morning with a hint of drizzle in the air. I arrived at 8:30 am and was done by 9:25 am due to lack of activity. It was only after I got into the car and started leaving the parking lot at the Wave Pool that I saw a Cooper's Hawk and Northern Harrier circling over the marsh just west of the parking lot and bike path. With the car still running I jumped out with the camera and spent a couple minutes photographing the juvenile/immature Northern Harrier as it circled closer and closer overhead. Dark clouds w...
