Staring dark morph Swainson’s Hawk – Nikon D500, f9, 1/500, ISO 250, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited
I’ve shared photos of this gorgeous dark morph Swainson’s Hawk before and I’ve written about how I believed it was the darkest, dark morph I had ever seen and to date that still holds true. I came across the folder that the images of this dark morph hawk are stored in a few days ago and felt I had to go through them again to admire the subdued but powerful beauty of this hawk.
It was a cold April morning in 2017, the hawk was sticky and I photographed it with ease from inside a vehicle parked on the opposite side of the road. I mentioned before that I find Swainson’s Hawks to be less skittish than Red-tailed, Rough-legged and Ferruginous Hawks but there is a possibility that this particular hawk had just arrived in Utah from its long migration from South America and was tired out. I was able to take close up portraits of the raptor that showed wonderful details in the bird’s plumage.
When I drive past the location where I photographed this dark morph Swainson’s Hawk during their breeding season I always look for it and remember it fondly.
So far this year I have only seen Swainson’s Hawks from a distance so I haven’t taken any images of them yet but I am excited to see them and hopefully there will be a few clear days this April when I can go out looking for them again. I know I will be keeping an eye out for the dark morph Swainson’s Hawks because I see fewer of them than I do the light and intermediate morphs.
Being able to photograph this dark morph Swainson’s Hawk was a real treat for me and I can’t help but smile every time I view the images I took of it.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Swainson’s Hawk photos plus facts and information about this species.
Dark, dramatic – and incredibly beautiful.
WOW! What an intense shot — beautiful!
Great pic and narrative Mia. The Swainson’s dark plumage is really impressive. Thanks.
Beautiful Raptor! I didn’t realize that they come back so early in the Spring.
What a beautiful bird & wonderful photo in the detail.
Great portrait. Thank you for sharing daily posts.
Always love seeing these Swainson’s Hawks, not to be found across over our way, but always a treat to see them in the SW during migration and the dark morphs especially. Thanks for the constant field work!
Cool photo Mia