Limited success with our most powerful and grandest buteo of them all.
1/4000, f/7.1, 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
Two days ago, soon after I photographed the Rough-legged Hawk I posted yesterday, I was on my way home when I found this Ferruginous Hawk on top of a utility pole. I’d seen “him” early that same morning on my way to my shooting location and he was still hunting the same area several hours later.
I usually don’t stop for raptors on utility poles but this was a Ferrug, the largest and most powerful buteo in North America, and there was a convenient pull-off spot off the road for my pickup so in hopes of getting takeoff and flight shots I made an exception.
1/3200, f/7.1, 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
When he eventually took off the timing of my burst didn’t quite catch him pushing off with his feet with his wings in a vertical position but with my track record that morning that was probably a good thing. Just a few minutes earlier I’d clipped the wingtips of the Rough-legged Hawk as it took off and with the nearly 5′ wingspan of a Ferrug it probably would have happened again.
1/3200, f/7.1, 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
Even with its plain blue sky that isn’t my favorite background this shot, taken six frames later in the burst, is one I like quite a lot. It’s tack sharp, I have very good light on the hawk and I like the wing position.
But I’ll tell you what, you can’t come any closer than this to clipping a wing without actually clipping it. When I zoom in on a high resolution version of the image one feather is actually touching the frame edge without any apparent loss of wing pixels. But for all practical purposes that feather and that wing are so close to being clipped they might as well be.
If I really wanted to I could add a narrow strip of blue sky canvas to the bottom of the frame but to be honest I can enjoy the photo just as it is. With my recent sharpness issues while shooting in cold weather it’s fun to start getting some truly sharp photos again.
It’s about damn time.
Ron
I wish these birds were found here, out East in Minnesota! Ah well, maybe some day I will visit Utah and see some. At least I can see beautiful pictures of them here on your blog.
Glad you made an exception. Beautiful photos. Even without a frame of reference this guy looks formidable.
It’s doubtful that one has ever been seen in northwest WA; a state threatened species in the rest of the state.
Would this be a juvenile (yellow iris)?
I always look for the scientific name in your tag section (hint hint).😁
Sorry, Lyle – it’s Buteo regalis. And yes, an immature bird.
As utility perches go, that is really not too bad for his and your purposes!
And he is a beautiful hawk … congrats (even with the imagined clipped wing) on capturing two amazing birds in one morning! I dream of seeing them both in the wild someday, though not on the same day, that would be too much magic for my mind to bear!
Your comment made me think, Chris. If I’ve ever been able to get reasonably good photos of both of these species on the same day in the past I don’t remember it. So you’re right, it was pretty special.
I always learn something from your blog and photos. Many thanks!
Good! Thank you, Nina.
Gorgeous avian gentleman! I’m mesmerized by his gaze in the last shot! I even like the perch — the wood has weathered nicely, although it could stand a bit of whitewash for “authenticity.”
(I wrote another comment earlier, but it seems to have gone off into the Interwebs’ ether. Another possibility is that I forgot to hit the post comment button. 😬)
Thanks, Marty. I didn’t get the email for that first comment so I suspect it might be that “forgot’ option… 🙂
I’m betting on “operator error” too. 😉
You really did have an excellent morning that day didn’t you? Which means that I/we start two days in an excellent way. Thank you.
How has your back responded after the snow shoveling?
EC, my back hasn’t been good at all lately. I’m becoming quite concerned about it. Don’t think it’s a result of shoveling though.
I am really sorry to hear that. Keep us posted – and if your back is misbehaving, shoveling won’t have helped at all.
I’m so sorry your back is still giving you so much trouble. ❤️
They are wonderful photos! I have never loaded my bike on the car while out that way, maybe I will next time if the roads are better than the past. I read your post about the man riding yesterday spooking off the roughie. Like you mentioned biking is not good for bird photography but I get so tired of sitting in the car all that time. I like to ride after a morning photo shoot.
April, they’ve finally graded that dirt road and this time it made quite a difference. The paved road is still as bad as always.
Stunning images! I’ve never seen this hawk. Those are very sharp images — your comments about the cold affecting your lenses has been informative for me. I get to look at pretty pictures and I learn something too! Thank you.
Thanks very much, Kathryn.
Really magnificent captures ! The shape of the head also seems similar
to that of an eagle ?
Kris, based on genetic studies there’s actually a movement afoot to reclassify Ferruginous Hawks as eagles.
The first time I saw one of these guys I thought it might be an eagle due to the size.
Yup, they’re large, bulky hawks.
Outstanding sequence Ron ! I have a book by bird wood carver Floyd Scholz and he has some photos of a Ferruginous Hawks in a darker phase that they almost look like a golden eagle ( due to the color and size).
John, I’ve photographed several dark morph Ferrugs. Here’s one of them:
https://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2019/11/30/dark-morph-ferruginous-hawk-takeoff-and-flight-series/
Glad to see that you are once again happy with the sharpness. Beautiful bird and excellent photos. I am envious. We do occasionally have them here, but I have never seen one.
Everett, I believe many of my photos of this bird were sharp only because by the time I photographed it the temps had warmed up significantly.
Gorgeous Ferrug, Ron! 😀 I’ve seen maybe 2 that I know of over time! They are BIG birds that do get one’s attention. I love the fact these shots clearly show how big the gape is, the heavy brow ridge and the beautiful coloring both dorsal and ventral…… Good day indeed! 😍
I’m a little surprised you haven’t seen more of them, Judy. I used to see them often near Cut Bannk.
Probably more around – just wasn’t paying much attention to identification until I started following your blog……😌
Great photos and great sharpness! In this case a ‘pole’ is most acceptable. This is a hawk I’ve not seen…I don’t think they are a visitor to our area sadly.
Thanks, Kathy. They’re pretty picky about their preferred habitat and their populations in many areas have been in decline for some time so lots of folks never get to see them.