My first Rough-legged Hawk photos of the season. They’ve been around for a while now but my time in the field has been so limited for so long, these are the first interesting Roughie photos I’ve managed to get.
Four days ago in northern Utah I drove up on a beautiful female Rough-legged Hawk as she was perched on a rustic old wooden fence post that was loaded with character and appeal. She allowed me to get close, she was facing me and she was in good light so I was excited (nearly to the point of buck fever) to finally get my first nice Roughie photos of the season.
But she had other priorities. A split-second before I got her in my viewfinder she…
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
took off like a bat out of hell and chased down another female roughie that I hadn’t seen about 100 yards to the west. Apparently she didn’t appreciate the competition from another Roughie in her hunting territory so the two of them duked it out in aerial combat for quite a while.
When one of them would turn tail, fly off and land on a sagebrush some distance away, the other one would chase that bird down and the combat would resume. That happened three or four times. At that distance I had difficulty focusing on them in flight but I got a few shots that documented the behavior reasonably well.
Here both birds are about to go at each other but…
1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
two shots in the burst later the hawk on the right…
1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
blinked first, turned tail and landed on a sagebrush some distance away. The other hawk gave chase but by then they were so far away my photos of the ensuing fight left a lot to be desired.
Hopefully, next time I get an opportunity like this with fighting Roughies I’ll be closer to them, but for me these photos will do in the interim.
Ron
Fun series! I watched a couple of sharpies chase each other through the cottonwood branches at Tonaquint Park, it is amazing one didn’t get injured. Quite a ruckus between the flailing and vocalizations (they sound like dog squeaky toys being squeezed). Sadly the chase finished birding with passerines for about an 30 minutes, even then birds stayed mostly hidden in brush.
Thanks, April. When there are Sharpies around, that’s a typical result.
I hope Miss Pale Tail escaped with all her feathers and talons intact and learned a lesson about territorial integrity; I would doubt first-year birds can successfully take over a more experienced bird’s hunting grounds. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained? At any rate, these are terrific images of two beautiful Roughies and I’m glad you’re finding these documentary opportunities even if the shot you originally hoped for got away!
Chris, “shots getting away” come with the territory in bird photography but knowing that doesn’t make it any easier when it happens. Maybe that was the price fate insisted I pay for getting the photos of the Golden Eagle in flight a little earlier that morning. If so, I don’t begrudge paying it. Not much, anyway.
WHAT a privilege to see. And capture. Thank you.
Thanks, EC.
First of the season for me, too. The girls are back in town and they’re already at it. In high school we would have called that a cat fight. I don’t know if we’re allowed to use that phrase anymore.
You’re allowed to use it here, Lyle…
What a thrill! It’s as if the birds knew you were out of commission for a while and have wanted to give you quite the show on your return to the field. That HAS to be it! 😉 Here’s hoping both ladies overwinter well and have a successful breeding season.
In other news, things have settled down with the pooch and we’re in our routine. She’s enjoying the massages and hand-feeding. We have another soft splint bandage change on Friday, then sutures come out a week from tomorrow and we can finally ditch the cone! I know she’ll be happy about that. 🙂
Marty, if that’s what they were trying to do I sure wish they’d chosen to perform a little closer.
Congrats on the progress with the pooch.
Another simply outstanding series of photographs!
Magnificent raptors engaged in a battle for survival. Sounds dramatic, and it is.
Hope all is well.
Thanks very much, Wally.
Great shots! How do you tell males from females?
John, the bellies of females are usually more heavily marked than the breast and it’s the opposite in males.
TOO much fun! 🙂 Even if far away you’re being rewarded for you absenses! 😉 It is interesting that the tail band is VERY pale on the one hawk.
Thanks, Judy.
Interesting that the rough-legged on the right in the bottom photo tail band doesn’t show up from underneath – all about the lighting?
You are amazing you are out in the field and such fantastic shots. I worry that the camera work is hard on your back because of the weight and the twisting. So please take care!
Your point about the tail is well taken, Molly. I noticed it too and wondered if it was age or molt-stage related. I don’t know enough to hazard more than a guess.
Nice shots! I would agree that the bird on the right looks like a first-year bird, with the pale tail-band and pale remex tips.
Thanks for weighing in on that, Carel.
That is a cool series!
Thank you, Bruce.
Those aerial fights are fun for us to watch, but are often quite serious for those involved. Very good photos that really allow us to follow the battle. Guess if it were not for our civilization and laws and law enforcement etc, we might still be battling each other for our food.
“…we might still be battling each other for our food”
Everett, the way things are going in the world I wouldn’t be surprised if it comes to that. And not in the too distant future.
As always, great shots of the lives of raptors.
I always wonder; just how much ‘fuel’ are they willing to spend and how much risk of injury these complex bio-flyers are willing to take in these territorial spats.
“I always wonder…”
That’s a complex and mysterious equation, isn’t it Michael. I often have the same thoughts.