Plus my first-of-year Swainson’s Hawk. These two hawks brought me two different kinds of excitement.
I’ll begin with the Swainson’s since I only got documentary shots of that bird. This species winters in South America so I hadn’t seen a Swainson’s since last fall. I don’t keep lists and I seldom chase rarities so I’m not a typical birder but my first sighting of a returning migrant is always exciting for me and when it’s a Swainson’s Hawk it’s extra-special because of my love of raptors.
As far as I can tell I believe this bird to be the first Swainson’s Hawks reported in Utah this spring so I’ll admit it got my heart racing a little when we found it yesterday in late morning just west of the Bear River MBR Visitor Center.
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 400, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
But at least as exciting (in a different way) was this Ferruginous Hawk I had photographed about four hours earlier in warm light just a few minutes after dawn as it perched on a rustic old fence post (in many areas these kinds of rustic perches are becoming much more difficult to find as they’re replaced by new and ugly metal fence posts). The last Ferruginous I photographed had been last October and I had lamented their scarcity all winter long.
Uncharacteristic of the species this bird allowed a close approach. I believe it was as “sticky” as it was because it was still quite cold (26 degrees F.) and it was mostly interested in warming up in the rising sun.
1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
The bird provided very little pose variety and it seemed quite sleepy but one time it did do a one-footed rouse although it kept its head down during the process and this in the only shot I got where there was light in the eye.
1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 400, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
The only reason the hawk eventually flew off was because a pickup came whizzing by and disturbed its sunbathing. The bird actually flew directly into the path of the speeding pickup and there was almost a collision which would have ruined my day and “his”. This photo isn’t as sharp as I’d like but I decided to include it for its look at the underwing plumage.
It was such a delight to finally see a good variety of species and a large numbers of individuals yesterday after such a long, slow winter for birds. Some of the other highlights included Turkey Vultures, Long-billed Curlews, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, American White Pelicans in breeding regalia (including that prehistoric-looking carbuncle on their upper bill), both Clark’s and Western Grebes and Black-crowned Night Herons which have also been scarce this winter. There were others too.
I also spent about an hour and 25 minutes photographing a male Marsh Wren constructing a nest and I’ll likely post some of those images soon.
Ron
Beautiful, my daughter favorite bird.
Great photos of both species. Soon after I moved to the mountains of New Mexico, a Ferruginous Hawk flew right up to our wall of windows and lingered a bit. It was impressive how large and eagle-like it appeared to be. Glad you are up and about, and best wishes, Ron!
I am so very glad you had such a great day yesterday. For you, of course, but also for my greedy self. These images warm my heart in the quiet before dawn. I am really looking forward to the nest building series too.
I hope I can find some good ones in that wren series, EC. That bird was aggravatingly uncooperative but I was stubborn and spent a long time trying…
I’m late to this post, but again, thank you so much. EC said it best when she wrote, “your images warm my heart in the quiet before dawn.”
You didn’t mention the Swainson’s before the photo appeared, so I was ready to take you to task about that 😉 But then there was the lovely Ferrug.
As for the wrens, I have a pair of cactus wrens nesting in the roof of the mews. They’re not the melodious canyon wrens, far from it, but they’re still beautiful and I love having them here. There are also two sparrow families nesting in the roof of the mews.
Looking forward to the next several days (and beyond).
Absolutely gorgeous photographs of two magnificent raptors I have never seen!
Than under-wing plumage of the Ferruginous is amazing and that image in the warm light of the morning sun is really special.
Thank you for sharing these special moments, Ron.
Thank you, Wally.
Beautiful photos and gorgeous hawks! Congrats on having a great birding day!
Thanks on both counts, Joanne.
Simply amazing, makes me want to go out and photograph some of the local Buteos even more! I’d imagine Ferruginous hawks are resident in Utah, correct? Or are they not resident in your area of the state?
Yes, they’re classified as year round residents here, Xavier. However, for the last 4-5 years I’ve seen many fewer of them in northern Utah than I used to.
Great photos and super poses by the Ferruginous Hawk. I have only seen one here once and failed to get a photo, and I have never seen a Swainson’s. Great shots as always. Thanks Ron.
Everett Sanborn, Prescott AZ
Thanks, Everett.
Beautiful birds!!! Especially like the last, the take off shot….
Thank you, Patty.
It’s gotta feel good to get some birds in your lens again! These are great shots — especially that last one of my favorite raptor pose. The rouse shot is pretty cool too. Glad “Mr. Andretti” didn’t cause any serious harm.
He didn’t cause any harm but it was close, Marty. My heart skipped a beat…
Just beautiful shots Ron, the Swainson’s and Ferruginous Hawk images are wonderful. Glad you are seeing an increase in diversity.
It hasn’t quite gotten to our part of the East as yet. We are seeing some migrants, geese are very anxious to move north, Red-wing Blackbirds have been here since the last week in Feb, but other migrants are few and far between. Our ponds freeze up at night and melt during the day. However, the Maple sap is flowing with below freezing temperatures at night and above freezing days. I’m hoping that our migrant count will go up as next month progresses.
Dick, I was on the island this morning and there’s more birds there too. Spring is finally springing around here!
Another plus in the Ferruginous take-off is the shadow that limns his wing, head, and breast. Lovely! In Davis, CA, at the Raptor Center, the Swainson’s Hawks have been back, or at least a few have, for nearly three weeks. We don’t get them in the foothills where I live, but I did see a light Merlin yesterday. I think they may be returning North now. The Ferruginous in the Davis area were common this winter, so maybe some of yours wandered South and West! There were great numbers of them in Western Nevada, too.
Good eye, Sallie. I hadn’t even noticed that shadow.
I look forward to some more of your birds heading our way.
Nice! 🙂 Also, for me, a good compare and contrast between the 2 hawks since my skills at identifying them are NOT good…. 😉 Good to know they are returning. Robins, Killdeer, and Red Wing Blackbirds are our recent arrivals and Canada Geese are pairing off so “Spring” is under way regardless of the weather!
It’s a GOOD time of year for all of us bird lovers, Judy. And seemingly long overdue!
Wonderful series Ron!
Charlotte
Thanks, Charlotte.