wskypilot

You got it on the first try. Thank you.

We live in northern Ohio and have seen this pair of birds occasionally in the morning on our deck. It's a male and female that look and sound just like cardinals but their entire head is black, not just the mask, and they have no tuft.

I want to thank you all for making me feel so welcome to your bird loving community.

That video nailed it...same exact behavior that we observed. Although it wasn't that windy the day we watched him. Thank you.

I used the word "hovering" because he would flap his wings rapidly to get straight up out of the tall grass and then just stay there for a time before diving back into the grass or flying to another spot, a lot like the aircraft of the same name. "The Harrier, informally referred to as the Harrier Jump Jet, is a family of jet-powered attack aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing operations. Named after a bird of prey." And we have concluded, with Kevin's help, that it is indeed a male Northern Harrier.

Thank you Kevin for relisting my question. And thanks again for identifying the bird in question. My wife and I now agree that it was a male Northern Harrier. We live in the country and have lots of Hawks, mostly Red Tail, but have never noticed the Northern Harrier. My wife and her sister go out every Saturday looking for Bald Eagles. They spot at least 3 adults every time and sometimes as many as 7, usually up closer to Lake Erie. But we have seen a couple near us and we live 20 miles south of the lake. They have certainly made a comeback...in my lifetime!

We get both types of hawk here in north central Ohio when I live. Yesterday, in the field across from my house, I saw a hawk-like bird hovering over and diving into the tall grasses, obviously looking for a meal. It was dark and had a white patch right in front of the tail. Every hawk with any white markings like that was located in Texas or south western US. Any ideas?