One morning on Spencer Island, John Flavin and I watched a Northern
Harrier drown an American Coot by landing on it and forcing it
underwater. The Harrier struggled to hold the coot down, or perhaps
it was puncturing the coot with its talons, until the coot was dead.
Then it slowly dragged the coot up on the shore and back into the
grass to eat. It was sure strange to see a harrier up to its breast
in water. I have also seen harriers feeding on mallards.

Ed Schulz
Everett, WA
eschulz at eldec.com


>I've observed Northern Harriers hunting for rodents in fields and
>pulling one out of the long grass but I have also observed them
eating
>small ducks. Several times I have checked out remains of prey after
>flushing one from around the Everett Sewage Ponds and they have had
>Green Winged Teal or some other duck I could not identify.

>Yvonne Bombardier
>Everett, Wa

> At 02:12 PM 5/27/97 -0700, you wrote:
> >On Tue, 27 May 1997, Sue Ericksen wrote:
> >
> >
> >> Marsh Hawk/Harrier 41% small birds, 33% rodents, 3% insects
> >
> >Amazing. I would have thought harriers were way too slow to snag a
bird.
> >
> >Kelly Cassidy -- Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research
Unit
> >Box 357980, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195
> >kelly at u.washington.edu --- 206-685-4195 --- 206-368-8076
> >
>
> I agree. They cruise the pasture next door looking for rodents. I've
not
> observed them chasing birds.
>
> Sue