Ferruginous Hawk Looking For And Finding (mystery) Nesting Material

Ferruginous Hawks use sticks, twigs, ground debris, bark, sod, cow dung and even bones as nesting material but I have no idea what this bird picked up and flew away with.

I used high ISO settings for these shots because I had very little light and I wanted enough shutter speed for takeoff.

 

ferruginous hawk 9981 ron dudley

1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 1250, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

I watched this bird and its mate sporadically for several days last month in Montana’s Centennial Valley as they flew from power poles to collect nesting material in the area. This one had just landed but it apparently had no specific piece of nesting material in mind because it spent considerable time picking up and then rejecting various items. The bird was picky!

I liked the rock to the left of the hawk and I didn’t want to crop half of it out so in this composition the bird is almost centered in the frame.

 

 

ferruginous hawk 9987 ron dudley

1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 1250, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

The hawk picked up several pieces of potential nesting material and then discarded them before finally settling on one that served its purpose. Here the bird has dropped a stick which is falling to the ground.

 

 

ferruginous hawk 0020 ron dudley

1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 1000, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

But eventually this mystery item was the nesting material of choice. I chose to post this image because it shows the lighter “underside?” of the item which I thought might help for identification (yes, I’m curious about what it might be).

 

 

ferruginous hawk huge crop 0020 ron dudley

A huge crop of the previous photo (5% of the original image) gives us a  closer look. Sod or cow dung with soil stuck to it come to mind but those are only wild guesses.

 

 

ferruginous hawk 0029 ron dudley

1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 1000, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

Here’s a look at the other side of the item.

 

 

ferruginous hawk 0037b ron dudley1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 1000, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

When the hawk took off carrying the nesting material it came straight at me at first but then it veered off to my right. I quite like this image, largely because of the head-on approach, the symmetry of the wings in this position and the proximity of the wing-tips to the ground.

I posted another photo of this bird in flight from my laptop while I was still in Montana so some may remember seeing this nesting material but I thought the hawk and its behavior deserved a little more exposure.

Besides, I’d really like to figure out what this nesting material might be and my readers have helped me solve puzzles before…

Ron

37 Comments

  1. Sharon Constant

    Magnificent bird and magnificent photos! I love, love, love these hawks! They are right up there with Northern Harriers in my book—Northern Harriers because they are such amazing flyers and Ferruginous hawks because they are just so big and beautiful… Thank you for the great post!

  2. I think it looks like buffalo hide.

  3. Charlotte Norton

    Wonderful series Ron!
    charlotte

  4. The Hawks are pretty. Funny how some birds are so picky. We have 4 Scrub-jay’s here, and one of them does the same with the peanuts. Picks one up, then drops it. Finally he/she chooses the peanut that it likes. Flies back and repeats the process. Always makes me laugh.

  5. I thought some might enjoy the most creative answer so far – from Bill Beecham on Facebook. He said it looks like the last remains of Jimmy Hoffa!

  6. Ron, my vote is for a meal left over. Great shots of a handsome bird. Thanks Diana

    • I’d agree with you, Diana, except for the fact that this bird landed with the item on a telephone pole for a while and never showed any interest in it as food. Then it took off again with it, presumably in the direction of a nest.

  7. For whatever it is worth, to me, it looks like a platter of moss. Moss has a shallow base and a large amount such as this a hawk could dislodge easily. That is what it appears to me.
    Great shots Ron, like them all.

  8. What a joy to see this magnificent raptor going about the ordinary business required by life. Too many “photographers” would pass these scenes by while waiting for the bird to “strike a pose”. Thank you, Ron, for your understanding of your subjects and for sharing your extraordinary skills while providing some of us with a very satisfying experience!

    I’m with previous fans who rave about that last shot! It’s quite special. The wings, the head turn, the catch light, heading right at you – spectacular!

    As to the nesting item, I slightly favor the animal hide theory. Which brings up the possibility that maybe it’s not nesting material but a potential snack. Rabbit jerky?

    All I know is, once it’s presented to the Missus, she will give him that look from under those penetrating eyes that says: “I hope you planned to use that as a door mat because it’s not coming into THIS nest!”. Sigh. Been there, done that, often.

    • LOL Wally! I’ve learned from watching the Cornell redtail nest that Momma supervises and approves ALL additions to the nest along with their proper placement, and if Momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy! LOL!!

    • Ha, a “door mat”, Wally. That’s exactly what it looks like! 🙂

  9. Beautiful shots!!! Since the bird is only at that position for such a short period of time, most of us would never get a chance to see it, so I REALLY love the last shot!!

  10. Great shots, Ron. 🙂 A piece of moss comes to mind as well as the animal hide possibility. Who knows! 🙂

  11. The main thing that comes to my mind about the piece of nesting material is that it looks like a sponge – which of course is totally unlikely in the middle of Montana. It also reminds me of some fungus, but I think it’s too big to be anything like that. In any case, I love that you can get close enough to birds to show us behaviors like this. My world is much richer for your photography.

  12. Just WOW, plus a string of superlatives! I love all the shots–Ferrugs are just so gorgeous. But that last one! OH WOW!
    My two cents is the nesting material looks like the dried hide of a leftover, but I’m only 73.8 percent sure of that! And you just never know what it could be with those guys!
    And again, WOW!

  13. Patty Chadwick

    It certainly is hard to identify that material…does look like top and belly-side fur of something…a rabbit?….nice shots of his “britches” in several of them! Love the fierceness in the eyes in all…such a beautiful ” little eagle! You caught some pretty amazing images, whatever that stuff is…the last is incredible!!! ( in the first, although the bird is the main focus, bird and rock together cover two thirds of frame, so composition works….just barely, but is still OK.)….

  14. I am not familiar with the rodents in Montana, but the material might be the desiccated remains of a mole or mouse or ground squirrel. The material looks soft, like carpet or fur, and it reminds me of “mouse jerky” that I have seen near the habitat of other raptors. All the photos are wonderful. They tell such a nice story of patience, careful selection and beauty. Thank you for sharing.

  15. That hawk coming at you is remarkable with they length and disposition of the wings as well as its steely eyes. Thank you.
    Elizabeth

    • Thanks very much, Elizabeth. You mention the eyes – this is one of those shots where I think the catch light in that left eye makes a big positive difference.

  16. Steven E Hunnicutt

    Agree with Roger, that last shot, WOW.

  17. Ron, when you realized that you had gotten this shot, I would have like to have
    seen the look on your face…. there must have been a big smile there, and if not
    there should have been. They are all great, but the last one is “really great.” Well
    done, again…. ;-)))

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