Swainson’s Hawks

Swainson’s Hawk in the Centennial Valley

By Mia McPherson, on May 15th, 2013%

Adult Swainson’s Hawk calling

Swainson’s Hawks are one of the three Buteos that I see with regularity on my visits to the Centennial Valley of Montana, Red-tailed and Ferruginous Hawks are the other two. I photographed this adult Swainson’s Hawk in the evening last year on the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge after a rainy afternoon, the light was low and I had to bump my ISO up to 1250 to get enough shutter speed for flight shots and because of that I could detect a touch of noise in the background so I applied Noise Reduction to the background of all three of these images.

The Swainson’s was calling to another Swainson’s off in the distance and since it had just defecated I was waiting for the hawk to lift off.

Swainson’s Hawk at the moment of lift off

And lift off it did! This sort of reminds me of the Olympic diver images we see that have just their toes left on the diving platforms. The talons have just left the fencepost and there appears to be a determined look in the Swainson’s Hawk’s eye. I do wish the light had been just a bit better so I could have completely froze the action but sometimes that motion blur helps to emphasize the feeling of motion.

Adult Swainson’s Hawk calling while in flight

As the adult flew it also started calling and flying towards the other Swainson’s in the distance.

By the way, the light colored areas in the background is a mist hanging over one of the lakes within the Red Rock Lakes refuge and the bluish colored area is part of the Centennial Mountains.

Mia

~I’m out of town but will be back soon, please feel free to share this post with your friends and family!

Swainson’s Hawk just after lift off

By Mia McPherson, on May 2nd, 2013%

Swainson’s Hawk just after lift off

This is an adult Swainson’s Hawk just after it lifted off from the barb wire on top of a fence on Antelope Island State Park a few days ago. I love the position of the feet & talons, the flared tail and the position of the hawk’s right wing. I do wish though that bird had looked more towards me.

I did clone out some of the barded wire at the bottom of the frame in this image.

Bird photography isn’t a cake walk, you can have all the gear, know how to use it, know what settings to use and you can still get images that aren’t “great” because the subjects are alive, they don’t always fly off the way we hope and they don’t always do what we would like them to do.

But that is the part of bird photography that keeps it exciting.

Mia

Adult Swainson’s Hawk Portrait

By Mia McPherson, on April 23rd, 2013%

Swainson’s Hawk portrait – Nikon D200, f9, 1/250, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited

I photographed this hawk in May of 2011 and soon after I photographed it I made a post about the bird here on my blog. The other day I came across that post and felt very embarrassed because on that post I realized I had incorrectly ID’d this bird as a Red-tailed Hawk. I must have been distracted or in a hurry to make the wrong ID but it does show that no matter how well you know your bird ID a mistake can be made.

I’ve corrected my previous post that had images of this bird n it.

And I have completely washed the egg off of my face

Mia

I have Montana’s birds on my mind

By Mia McPherson, on April 14th, 2013%

Sandhill Crane in a field of wildflowers

This time of the year I start dreaming about the Centennial Valley of Montana and of the birds that call the valley home during the summer. In my mind I can hear the Sandhill Cranes and Coyotes calling as the mist rises off of the lake. And the pungent smell of Sagebrush as I move past them.

Juvenile Swainson’s Hawk in the Centennial Valley

I know that if I am lucky I will get to see hawks, eagles, owls and falcons. I enjoy seeing the hatch year hawks like this Swainson’s Hawk juvenile perched on a fence post near Red Rock Creek.

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in the Centennial Valley

And juvenile Red-tailed Hawks warming in the light of the rising sun.

Mia

Swainson’s Hawks will arrive any day now

By Mia McPherson, on March 23rd, 2013%

Adult Swainson’s Hawk – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/2000, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited

It is dark outside as I write this and there is perhaps 1 to 2 inches of snow on the ground and it is still coming down, winter is trying to hang on while spring is trying to push its way in. The season clash this time of the year and fluctuations in temperature and precipitation are expected.

What else is expected?

I know that I am expecting an influx of migrating birds including Swainson’s Hawks. Last year I saw my first of the year Swainson’s Hawk on April 10th in Box Elder County in northern Utah. It was a delightful day with clear skies and nice light and the hawk above is that Swainson’s.

As soon as this cold front passes I will be out looking for the birds of spring including these majestic Swainson’s Hawks.

Mia

More Swainson’s Hawk images