![\"rough-legged-hawk-4309\"](\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/rough-legged-hawk-4309.jpg\" "\\"rough-legged-hawk-4309\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n\u00a01\/2500, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc<\/em><\/p>\n We\u00a0had\u00a0barely made it onto the causeway before this Rough-legged hawk began to entertain us.\u00a0 We watched as it ate a vole and then it immediately walked\u00a0about two feet to its left\u00a0and picked something else\u00a0up with its foot.\u00a0 At first I assumed it was another vole, either alive or from a food cache.\u00a0 But in looking at close-ups of some of the photos I’m pretty sure it’s only a rock with old brine fly larvae cases and small twigs\u00a0frozen to it.\u00a0\u00a0 Then this hawk did something strange – it transferred the\u00a0“rock” to its beak and deliberately flung it a good distance – here it’s flying through the air\u00a0 Then the bird walked over, picked up the rock in its left foot and flew off with it.\u00a0\u00a0My curiosity is killing me as to\u00a0just what was going on.\u00a0 Obviously this isn’t a great shot but I was fascinated by the behavior.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/2000, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0Next this Northern Harrier gave us some good looks.\u00a0 I only got blue sky background but still liked the shot.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/2500, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc<\/em><\/p>\n Then the same roughie as before decided to play with us again.\u00a0 I always like it when I can get the Great Salt Lake as background for a shot like this, even though I never did catch the hawk looking at me.\u00a0\u00a0 So far we’d been shooting hawks along the causeway for about 40 minutes and\u00a0hadn’t even made it to the first bridge yet.\u00a0 What a blast!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/2500, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0Ok, now we’re on the island\u00a0and decided to go for our favorite group of Black-billed Magpies.\u00a0 These birds are a huge challenge because of their black and white colors – proper exposure is very difficult.\u00a0 And even when you get the exposure right most shots don’t come out very interesting unless you get lucky with the iridescence.\u00a0 Over the years I’ve probably wasted more pixels on this species than any other but I liked this shot because of the wing and head positions and the iridescence.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 400, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0Next we found a few cooperative Horned Larks.\u00a0 This male gave me a clean background and even picked a rock to perch on that wasn’t glaring white like they usually do.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/1000, f\/10, ISO 400, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc<\/em><\/p>\n But I was much happier with the dried sunflower this female picked to perch on.\u00a0 I have a love\/hate relationship with all the sunflowers on the island this past year.\u00a0 They were spectacularly beautiful when they were flowering and they make wonderful perches for bird photography but it’s sure frustrating to try to shoot through all of\u00a0them when your subject (feathered or furred)\u00a0is on the ground.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n