Ferruginous Hawks | on the wing photography

Ferruginous Hawk in Tooele County, Utah

By Mia McPherson, on February 8th, 2012%

Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) wing lift
Nikon D300, f5.6, 1/1600, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited

Back in November I had the opportunity to photograph this Ferruginous Hawk in the west desert of Utah, the hawk was very wary so I was unable to make as close of an approach as I would have liked. The day was hazy and slightly overcast from some high thin clouds, I really didn’t have the best of conditions but that never seems to keep me from testing my skills. The Ferruginous Hawk was perched on an old fencepost that had a lot of character because it was weatherworn and it wasn’t a manufactured post. In the photo above the hawk was lifting its wings not to take flight but to stretch them.

Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) getting balanced on perch
Nikon D300, f5.6, 1/1600, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited

After the wing lift the hawk had a bit of a time getting balanced on the post again so it fluttered its wings as its feet gripped the uneven surface of the post. That gave me a nice view of the rusty colored feathered legs, they remind me of old fashioned jodhpurs that horseback riders used to wear which were very loose at the thigh and tight around the lower legs.

Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) preparing for lift off

Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) preparing for lift off
Nikon D300, f5.6, 1/2000, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited

There aren’t many people in the west desert of Utah thus the raptors and other birds that live there are not habituated to people so they are very skittish even when using a mobile blind. In less than a minute after gaining its balance on the old fence post this regal raptor decided to lift off and fly out over the grassy, sagebrush covered plain to the east.

I love the quiet found in the west desert, the whispering of the grasses in a slight breeze and the wide open skies.

Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) lift off
Nikon D300, f5.6, 1/1600, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited

When the Ferruginous Hawk first lifted off it had its face turned slightly away from me but it did give me this one final image that had a nice look at its eye and a wonderful view of those beautifully colored feathered legs.

I wish the light had been a bit better that day but Ferruginous Hawks are year round residents here so I’ll just look for more opportunities to photograph the handsome hawks.

Mia

Ferruginous Hawk – A Regal Raptor

By Mia McPherson, on November 7th, 2011%

Ferruginous Hawk with wings up

Ferruginous Hawk with wings up
Tooele County, Utah
Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/4000, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited or set up

I love to say “Ferruginous”, I’m not sure exactly why but I think it is a fun word to pronounce, especially when I roll the “R’s”. Yes, it is probably a little odd to enjoy saying it so much but I don’t apologize for it! I love to say “Flammulated” too.

Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo regalis) are the largest hawks found in North America, the “regalis” in the latin name means “kingly” or “regal” and I have to agree with those descriptions. The English name; “Ferruginous”, means “rusty” and that also describes some of this hawk’s coloring very well.

Bad timing

Bad timing
Tooele County, Utah
Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/2500, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 355mm, natural light, not baited or set up

Ferruginous Hawks are found in western North America in terrains from grasslands to open deserts. I often see them perched on utility poles, old snags, on top of sagebrush bushes or where I often find this species in Tooele County, on top of a small weather reporting station. My bad timing allowed the weather station to still be obvious in the photo above but these large raptors do take off quick and I wanted a series of shots as it lifted off, this was the first frame of that series.

I haven’t had the best of luck getting quality photos of this species, it seems that quite often they take off facing away from me and I like having eye contact with my subject. Once I spotted one slowly flying in to where I stood but alas I didn’t have my camera in hand. I told a friend to grab his camera and he got some decent images whilst I got nothing but a great view of the Ferruginous flying low and slow over my head. I hope my luck changes. Or I’ll need to seriously consider spending a lot of time waiting where I know I see these raptors.

Ferruginous Hawk with wings on a down beat

Ferruginous Hawk with wings on a down beat
Tooele County, Utah
Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/3200, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited or set up

Yesterday I found this Ferruginous perched twice on the weather station so I was able to get two series of lift off shots and was quite pleased to have those opportunities. I like that the image above shows the “rusty” plumage on the wing, shoulder and back of this gorgeous hawk. I have not seen the dark morph of this species yet though I understand they are equally as stunning as the light morph.

Any time I see a Ferruginous (rolling my “R’s”) Hawk, they take my breath away

Mia