Spotted Harrier (nearly nine months in waiting)

I initially came across this gorgeous raptor species near Castlereagh on January 8 this year. I tried hard to find it day after day, week after week, month after month. But finding a needle in a haystack is perhaps a little easier. I had instances when I drove out from my friend's place one morning without my camera and had the bird next to my car on the nature strip near the main road. Then only two weeks ago the same thing happened, again sans camera. So while I tend to think I always take my gear when I go out with my dogs for their daily run, I opted NOT to take it thus the best chances came those two times. Spewing was about as mellow an expression as I could recite here.

Then two other mornings it flew straight over my car, when I had the camera, but at this spot the car cannot be stopped. The bird kept flying anyway, away from me.

However, yesterday morning, it all came together. I saw it come, I chucked a U-turn, then  "chased" it over suburban backyards in Cranebrook for about five minutes.

See my blog post for more of the story.

http://www.amatteroflight.com/wordpress/?p=437