Harrier

The harrier is back now that much of the snow pack has melted.  During the winter the mice and voles can tunnel under the snow and keep out of the harrier's sight.  When the snow melts away these denizens of the field are suddenly left out exposed - no snow tunnels, no covering vegetation.  Harriers are fun to watch.  They float slowly over the fields in a gridlike flight plan often less than 20 feet above the ground.  I watched this male doing it's thing over the meadow when he noticed something and suddenly dropped to the ground.  He had caught a fat vole in it's talons.  He lifted off again to alight in a nearby hayfield.  While the harrier is exposed out in the open there, he can also see anything approaching.  Once settled on the ground, he ate his lunch.   Interestingly, while the cats and dog can occasionally catch voles, they never eat them.  Assume they are an acquired taste.