This is a good time of year to ride shotgun while traveling. Late this afternoon, something caught my wife's eye and wouldn't let go. I could tell before she even said anything that I needed the next pullout... quickly! We both jumped out of the car. In the bright, low-angle light, my split-second thought was ring-billed gull - so white was this bird underneath (with black wing tips). But this was clearly not a gull. Circling upward on a thermal, then streaming northward, there was no mistaking that this was a migrating male Northern Harrier. Despite having seen many dozens of this species in many settings, I don't recall ever seeing a male from below in such brilliant light... an unforgettable sighting of a not-so-unusual species, far more satisfying than glimpsing a rare species staked out by someone else! Keep an eye skyward these days. Doug Hardy, Norwich -------- Original Message -------- Beaver Meadow Rd, Windsor, US-VT Apr 6, 2014 5:30 PM 1 species Northern Harrier 1 View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S17779947 This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org/vt) **************************************************************** To post messages, send e-mail to: [log in to unmask] Set your e-mail application to PLAIN TEXT ONLY to post messages. To contact the list owner: [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------- Web based archives and subscription management are available at: http://listserv.dartmouth.edu/Archives/uv-birders.html ****************************************************************