Male Hen Harrier

Clyde-Muirshiel, 2006

Hen Harriers: 1 ¦ 2 ¦ 3 ¦ 4 ¦ 5 ¦ 6

Blue Hawk

The male Hen Harrier, or Blue Hawk, visits the nest briefly, presumably curious to see his first-born of the season.

Male Hen Harrier Quartering the Moor

The rôle of the male Hen Harrier is to find food for the female while she broods the eggs and young.
He hunts over the moor for voles or small birds.

The Food Pass

Having caught some item of prey, the male returns to the nest territory, calling to the female who leaves the nest to perform the 'rite' of the food pass with the male. As she approaches him, she acrobatically flies upside down, and he passes the food item to her in mid-air.

Studies of Food Pass

The prey item can be quite clearly seen in the upper sketches, and the aerobatics of the pass are captured in a drawing which I would make a painting from.

The dynamics of the Food Pass

Imagine the scene:
You are following the birds through binoculars. The ground becomes a blur of heather and bracken in early May.
The frenetic painting and lines drawn onto the background I trust bring the impression of urgency and admiration.

The Heather Gled

"Heather Gled" is an old Scottish term for the Hen Harrier, descriging its gliding flight over heather moors.
This gliding flight is typical of all Harriers, as is the swoop in the lower sketch.

Misty Law in early Spring

This view as seen from the picnic tables outside the Visitors' Centre.
Painted in silver and gold, this painting is most evocative of the arrival of the male Hen Harrier with his distinct white rump and blue-grey wings tipped by black primary feathers.

More Hen Harriers: 1 ¦ 2 ¦ 3 ¦ 4 ¦ 5 ¦ 6

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