Western Marsh Harrier
© Özlem Alpagut
Published:
April 11, 2011
A Western Marsh Harrier
(Circus aeruginosus) eats a coot beside a lake in north-central Turkey.
Özlem Alpagut of Samsun, Turkey, shot the photo near
Cernek Lake, which is part of the
Kizilirmak Delta Important Bird Area. The delta is a stone’s throw from the Black Sea.
Özlem saw the harrier hunting the coot, but after it took the bird, it disappeared for a moment. “I waited because I knew the harrier would perch somewhere to eat the coot,” she tells us. “Luckily, it came in front of my car. But I had to turn the car to take photos, and I knew if I started the engine, it could fly away. I waited for 10 seconds to not disturb the harrier and decided to turn on the car. I started the engine, and he just looked at me and I understood that he was calm enough that I could take photos.”
Özlem used a Canon 7D and a 400mm f/2.8 lens and posted the photograph to our
World Gallery.
See more of Özlem’s photos from Turkey:
• Long-legged Buzzard
• Green Sandpiper
• Nuthatch
• Little Egret
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