Crystal clear air, sunny skies, cold temps, fairly remote country and several raptor species to photograph – yesterday was a good day to be alive.
I spent the morning in and near the mountains out west. The higher I got in the mountains the riskier it became driving on the ice and snow covered and deeply rutted dirt roads but it was great to be up there.
I made the mistake of taking this photo with my cell phone and it shows. I had an extra DSLR camera sitting on the seat right next to me that I should have used.. Next time I’ll know better.
1/8000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Soon after I came out of the mountains I spotted this adult male Rough-legged Hawk on a metal fence post near the road. He was close with patchy snow behind him.
The white above and below his beak reminds me of some color phases of Swainson’s Hawks.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 320, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
His next perch was a large pile of rocks that was further away. Here the background is the snowy mountains we see in the first photo above. I took many photos of him perched here but…
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 320, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
eventually I backed up about 10′ in order to get blue sky in the background, just for the variety.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 320, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
You’re right, I was pissed when I clipped his wings at takeoff. I thought about that possibility just before he lifted off and I still clipped them, even though I had plenty of room in the frame to avoid doing it. Thirteen years of photographing birds and I’m still making mistakes like this.
As Pam Skaar pointed out in her comment below I may have clipped his wings but this posture really shows off his legs feathered all the way down to his feet. That’s the source of the “rough-legged” part of their common name.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 320, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
It’s a little unusual for me to post a takeoff or flight shot with the bird’s wings in horizontal positions but in this case I like how his wing and body conform to the top of the rock pile.
So, two glaring mistakes in the same post – a poor choice of cameras and clipped wings. Hopefully if I make a big deal out my errors I’ll know better next time.
Ron
Notes:
- I’m still having some trouble getting tack sharp shots while shooting from my pickup in cold temps. Most of these photos aren’t bad but they’re not quite as sharp as they should be.
- I had another chance with this hawk on another perch but an ‘old guy’ (probably about my age and I’m 73) came along riding his bike on the remote road pretty far away from any town when it was breezy and the temperature was 29°. Raptors often don’t mind vehicles but they really don’t like folks on foot or riding bikes so the old codger flushed the hawk before I could get off any shots. Normally I’d be mildly upset by the bad timing but in this case I can only applaud that old man for his chutzpah. Believe me, it was cold out there!
What a wonderful amazing series Ron!
Charlotte Norton
I love the thermal long underwear below the feathers! Hmm…. biking maybe I will try next time.
Just beautiful shots of this magnificient bird. Love your commentary!!
Thank you, Alice.
Thanks for braving the dicey roads. It paid off. In the first takeoff shot it looked like he might try to take the rock with him. Scary thought.
I see what you mean, Lyle – it does look like that.
Gorgeous surroundings! I miss being in and around snow (not the shoveling and walking/driving on ice part, though, lest you think I’ve forgotten about that part 😉 ). After this coming week of warm temps, I don’t think there will be much snow left in our local mountains.
This Roughie is quite the looker! My favorite shot is the wing fling (no surprised there), but the last shot is right on its tail feathers! The perspective you caught of the right wing is really special. I feel like I’m a little mite sitting on the edge of one of the primaries and looking straight down the surface of that wing.
Marty, as you apparently know it isn’t easy to forget the downsides to snow, and they do exist, but around here we’d be in a world of hurt without it. And damn, it can be purdy in the mountains.
I love these, all. I love Rough-legged Hawks because they have “sweet” faces! Bad of me, I know. . .
Not “bad” of you at all, Sallie. Thanks.
Oooh. And ahhh.
And kudos to the biker. They obviously breed them tough in that neck of the woods.
Thanks, EC. We have at least our share of wimps of all ages but that guy wasn’t one of them.
Love these pics, and the variety of backgrounds (even with clipped wings) — he is a most handsome Roughie! I’m thinking, however, that those leg feathers would be soft and smooth, but I suppose Smooth-legged Hawk (“Smoothie”) would not fly with many in the bird world! 😬 That face is so appealing, possibly the most attractive hawk in the raptor pantheon.
“possibly the most attractive hawk in the raptor pantheon”
Well said, Chris. I agree.
Hi Ron,
Yes, a treat to see the leg feather features on that handsome hawk❣️
I think your iPhone photo is really nice…what more were you hoping for…just curious 😍
Note:
I lost my nice canson camera several years ago while traveling down the Li River in China…it fell /fumbled overboard> blub, blub, blub…disappeared in the murky waters. Felt devastated…then this message came to mind:
“This is my lesson to> “LET GO”.
(Most folks on my tour sent me a cd of their photos/how lovely was that!❣️) Anyway, never replaced it…just perfectly content with iPad/iPhone pics… I appreciate all your generous sharing …I learn so much from you❣️
“what more were you hoping for/”
Carolyn, it’s just a very poor quality photo. There’s little detail and the whites of much of the snow in the mountains are blown out with no detail at all.
Well, you have a photographer’s discerning eye Ron❣️
Thanks for your reply and for your wonderful photo/informative posts❣️❣️
After so long without commenting I feel a little embarrassed because the reason for doing so now is to tell you that the first setting of the second photo is not right.
Canon 7D Mark II is a great camera but I don’t think it can take pictures at 1/25000…
I hope you don’t get me wrong but I’m always paying attention to the way you take your beautiful photos.
By the way my favorite is the fourth even with the wings clipped.
Thanks for the heads up, Jorge. I fixed the typo.
Rough-legged hawks usually see me and leave long before I can see the detail easily visible in your photos. I’m so glad you posted them, even if you see them as imperfect. It all depends what matters to the viewer. Thank you.
That’s often the case with me too, Nancy. Occasionally a get lucky and find a less skittish one.
He’s a very handsome bird. That first photo of him looks as if he is almost 3-D.
I see what you mean, Arwen.
I do believe the Rough-legged is the most beautiful of the hawks. It must be a combination of head shape and size, bill, and other little nuances wrapped into one. They just have a genteel look that I love. Don’t get me wrong …I’ve seen many in action hunting and consuming so I know what they are most capable of. All your photos show hum off beautifully!
I ‘ve always thought so too, Kathy. For me it’s mostly their head and beak shape.
I love all these shots whatever the background. What impress me more is the size of the talons compared, let say, with the ones shown on your last shots of the Prairie Falcon. Yesterday, I’ve tried a shot on a nearby Wild Turkey from my vehicule cab and it was impossible to take a decent picture. The temperature outside was -4°F. It was quite cold. Have a great day!
-4° outside when you’re shooting from a warm vehicle could sure do it, Laval..
Cool! Showing the legs feathered all the way down is great even if the clipped wings were to cuss for……😉 In this case the blue sky background show off the bird better for me – may be because I’m looking for “detail” to identify one…. Me & LCD screens just don’t get along – of course my cell has a case that flips open and that is NOT helpful. 😖
Kudo’s to the bike rider – wouldn’t get me out there in that weather! 😳 We used to have an older guy riding the Highwood Rd here – NOT a good road with lots of coolies to navigate…..
Thanks, Judy. That old feller was pretty impressive.
Thanks for pointing out the feathers-down-to-the-toes feature ! I’ve been
wondering in the past where the name came from ( their legs looked smooth
to my naive eye )—the stretch of those wings before takeoff is hard to believe-
really impressive–I can see how even your practiced eye would be challenged
to “guesstimate” its extent. Glad you had a fine, if very cold, day out !
“Thanks for pointing out the feathers-down-to-the-toes feature”
Kris, it’s Pam that should get the credit for that. I didn’t even think of it until she pointed it out (I added that part to the post after I published it).
Excellent shots all. I really like blue sky backgrounds, but in this case I like the snowy mountain background in that one shot than the perfect blue sky. Like Pam I appreciate the shots that expose the legs so clearly. I have never seen a rough-legged hawk so had no idea why they are called that. Now I know. Hey, that old geezer is one hell of a guy to be out there biking at 29 degrees. And biking is a lot colder than hiking. Since I am on foot with a camera that requires me to be closer I always look around to be sure that there is not someone with equipment like yours farther away. I am careful to never be guilty of flushing a bird away that someone else may be focused on.
Everett, that old guy has my respect. At 29° with a biting breeze it was damned cold.
You may have clipped the wings but it’s a shot that shows off his feathered legs beautifully. I never have seen the stockings under the britches in the field since they squat and cover them up when sitting.
Thanks for pointing out the bright side, Pam.