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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.kootenay-lake.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/harrier150909bs.jpg\")
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So unexpected was the sight of a Northern Harrier at Kokanee Creek Park, that I misidentified it at first. I have occasionally seen harriers at either end of the Main Lake where\u00a0they hunt small mammals while flying low over grasslands, but much of the West Arm is unsuitable forested habitats. Yet, here was a harrier hunting over the limited grasslands of the Park.<\/p>\n
Harriers summer to our north, and winter to our south, so in the fall, these birds pass through our region as they head south, which makes September the best time to see them in the Park. Indeed, this harrier had been\u00a0reported the day before I saw it. Maybe it will hang around for a few more days.<\/p>\n
My first view of the Northern Harrier was of it chasing another bird. At\u00a0that time, I had not figured out what it was.
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It became clear some moments later when it flew close to\u00a0me,
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.kootenay-lake.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/harrier150909s4.jpg\")
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and a fraction of a second later it flew past.
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.kootenay-lake.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/harrier150909s3.jpg\")
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So unexpected was the sight of a Northern Harrier at Kokanee Creek Park, that I misidentified it at first. I have occasionally seen harriers at either end of the Main Lake where\u00a0they hunt small mammals while flying low over … Continue reading