![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/ferruginous-hawk-4748-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"ferruginous-hawk-4748-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nIn the past I’ve photographed many buteo species regurgitating pellets but until two days ago I’d never done it with a Ferruginous Hawk. And the aftermath of this event was entertaining for me and perhaps for the hawk too. I’d never seen it happen\u00a0before and I have to wonder if the hawk had.<\/p>\n
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Day before yesterday we found this young first winter Ferruginous Hawk in Tooele County. I took a few shots from my first vantage point but I wanted to improve my angle on ‘him’ (I don’t really know the sex of this bird)\u00a0in case he took off in the direction he’s facing so…<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/ferruginous-hawk-4813-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"ferruginous-hawk-4813-ron-dudley\\"")
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I drove my pickup forward a few feet which put mountains in the background. I also removed my teleconverter to accommodate his wings in\u00a0the event\u00a0he took off but in the end I wish I’d left it on for the unexpected behavior that followed.<\/p>\n
Suddenly he began to retch. He really struggled to get the pellet up to the back of his throat and it took him quite a while. I didn’t have any light on his face for this and\u00a0several photos that follow but I still think this series is good documentation of interesting behavior and its aftermath.<\/p>\n
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The pellet\u00a0began to emerge.<\/p>\n
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It’s a long pellet and part of it was still\u00a0lodged in his throat so he\u00a0continued to struggle.<\/p>\n
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Here it finally dropped straight down from his open mouth. It’s in shade so the dark pellet is difficult to see against the shade of the bird so I’ve marked it with a small red arrow. I’ve also included a red arrow on the following five images to make it easier for readers to follow the path of the pellet which is about embark on a journey.<\/p>\n
The hawk was perched on a steep hill so the pellet began to roll downhill.\u00a0Soon it disappeared behind the rock…<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/ferruginous-hawk-4829-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"ferruginous-hawk-4829-ron-dudley\\"")
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but six frames later it had reappeared and rolled far enough downhill that it was out of the shade of the rock and a little easier to see. Here it has picked up snow as it rolled and we also see snow being flung upwards from it.<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/ferruginous-hawk-4830-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"ferruginous-hawk-4830-ron-dudley\\"")
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“Rollin’ rollin’ rollin’,\u00a0rawhide” – sorry but it was time for an earworm for all you\u00a0Clint Eastwood Rawhide<\/em> fans from days gone by.<\/p>\n The pellet continues to roll.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The hawk watched the entire journey of the pellet as it continued to roll downhill even though\u00a0he was\u00a0still recovering from the near-trauma of expelling it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The bit of vegetation in front of the\u00a0still-rolling pellet\u00a0apparently slowed it down enough that it…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n twisted and then lodged against the side of the rock. Its journey was over.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The hawk celebrated by throwing\u00a0poop in the middle of a wing stretch…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n and eventually taking off.<\/p>\n Man, do I ever wish I had light on his face\u00a0in this shot!<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Note: I ran out of time to include individual image techs but most of these shots were taken at 1\/5000, f\/7.1. ISO 400, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender. <\/em><\/p>\n Yes, I had plenty of shutter speed. Snow and bright sky will do that.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the past I’ve photographed many buteo species regurgitating pellets but until two days ago I’d never done it with a Ferruginous Hawk. And the aftermath of this event was entertaining for me and perhaps for the hawk too. I’d never seen it happen before and I have to wonder if the hawk had.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/ferruginous-hawk-4831-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"ferruginous-hawk-4831-ron-dudley\\"")
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