Predator and Prey: Northern Harrier and American Coot
Bosque del Apache NWR, November 25, 2010.
This action happened fast! We had just arrived in the afternoon and immediately saw this Harrier swoop down and catch this Coot at the SW corner of the Flight Deck pond, near the entrance station. I hopped out of the car and started shooting; the camera settings were not optimal for doing handheld (centerpoint focus with no expansion points, IS mode 2) but I didn't want to take my eye off the action and I managed to get a few images in focus, including this one.
The Harrier held the Coot under water for 3 minutes and then tried repeatedly to lift it out of the water, unsuccessfully. This image is one of those attempts. Finally, the Harrier gave up and flew away. The Coot was still alive and managed to paddle away but it must have been gravely injured by the Harrier's talons. The next day we saw an immature Bald Eagle out on one of the standing dead trees dining on a Coot....
The sun angle was very favorable but unfortunately the Harrier was facing away; this is one of the few images I was able to get with the Harrier's head visible. I don't usually go for square crops but it seems to work here. I brightened the Coot's eye a bit since it was in shadow.