Raptors put on show at Leo Carrillo State Park
I enjoyed a thrilling air show late Friday afternoon. It was carried out in a remote meadow in the upper recesses of Leo Carrillo State Park north of Malibu, and it involved only two fliers, which looked like northern harriers.
And these birds of prey were good.
They cruised at high speed, one after the other, only a few feet above the golden field. They owned this meadow. They’d twist and dive-bomb into the tall grass, rise, continue their errant patrol, and dive again.
Ultimately, one remained down, so I presume it had captured a rodent or small bird. The other, perhaps detecting my presence, took refuge on the branch of a distant oak and cried shrilly.
I cried too, because I'd come unprepared. My camera battery died after only a few shots -- long before the raptors were within range -- during a show that lasted two long minutes. So all I captured was the poor image at the bottom of this post.
I’ll go back soon, however, better prepared, to see if I can spy this scene again -- but I'm curious as to how unusual this scene was. If anyone has an opinion, please share.
I'm almost certain they were northern harriers, because both had the telltale white band across their backsides. I'd seen them a few times before, in Northern California and in the Kern River Valley, but not during dozens of hikes in the Santa Monica Mountains.
My "Sibley" field guide informs that they're uncommon but widespread, so that explains that. But it also says they're solitary, and these were definitely together. The guide further states that they rarely perch on anything higher than a low fence post, yet one of these perched for a long time atop a broad oak.
On the trail surrounding this meadow -- in which I'd once seen a small bobcat -- were sporadic piles of soft, gray bird feathers, so it was not a good day for small, gray birds. But it was a fantastic afternoon for a hike.
--Pete Thomas
Photo credit: Pete Thomas / Los Angeles Times
Caption: This distant shot is presumably of a northern harrier, one of two hunting together in a meadow atop Leo Carrillo State Park.
