On 1/9 I observed what looked to be 20 Northern Harriers off the causeway,
some harrassing a Red-tailed Hawk sitting in a tree alongside the road. As
the light faded they seem to disappear, and assumed they were some kind of
migrating group that had moved on.

Never having seen so many harriers before, I called Mary Warren the next
morning to inquire. I later discovered that they sometimes roost communally
during the winter non-breeding season.

So, I returned on Saturday with my niece Jessica to stake out the causeway,
and saw first about 6 harriers working the area, and then up to 14 harriers
arrive from the east at sunset.

Kenn Kaufman was kind enough check a photo I'd sent him over the weekend,
and to confirm the precedent of harriers roosting in Ohio.

Has anyone seen the harriers at Magee prior to 1/9?  Has anyone seen
roosting activity elsewhere in Ohio (this year or otherwise)?

(Apologies for not posting the sightings sooner, but wanted to confirm all
the birds were harriers and had some concerns about disturbing their
activity...)

Cheers,
Rita Schneider

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