Northern Harrier, USA

I was out in the cold for over an hour trying to capture a picture of this harrier. My hands were frozen, even with gloves on, due to the cold and high winds across the prairie. I had hand warmers in the car dash; of course, I didn't bring one along. I saw the harrier flying at a distance, too far away to photograph. It was overcast and dark, so I decided to leave.

I got in my car, placed the camera in its case, and voila, the harrier landed right next to me on a sapling. So close it was hard to get the window down without scaring it away. I finally got the window down and tried to focus, but the camera only focused on the grass in front of the harrier. The harrier then turns his head to the left and click... the eye in focus.

The northern harrier, also known as the marsh hawk or ring-tailed hawk, is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost USA