Alert Rough-legged Hawk male perched on a fence post, West Desert, Tooele County, UtahAlert Rough-legged Hawk male perched on a fence post – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

Yesterday morning  was clear, bright, chilly, and I spent ten minutes photographing an adult male Rough-legged Hawk that I found in the West Desert. The male Rough-legged Hawk was perched on a juniper fence post with foothills behind it that had some snow on them. By using the elevated perch the hawk scanned the grassy slopes for prey. In this photo I believe the hawk may have spotted prey off in the distance.

Adult male Rough-legged Hawk lifting off from a fence post, West Desert, Tooele County, UtahAdult male Rough-legged Hawk lifting off from a fence post – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

A few frames later the male Rough-legged Hawk lifted off from the wooden fence post, turned to the north, and kited over over the grassy foothills. I did not see it catch prey.

I have other photos of this Rough-legged Hawk on this fence post that I plan to share sometime in the future but this lift off photo was one of my favorites from yesterday.  I almost clipped the tip of his right wing in this frame.

Male Rough-legged Hawk on top of a large boulder, West Desert, Tooele County, UtahMale Rough-legged Hawk on top of a large boulder – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

Later in the morning I spotted the Rough-legged Hawk again but he lifted off and landed on a huge boulder to the south. The light angle I had wasn’t quite as optimal as I had had earlier in the morning although I still liked the photos I took of him.

The day before I found this hawk I had photographed another male at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I was disappointed with those images because they were soft due to heat wave distortion. Yesterday there was enough of a breeze on the foothills that all of my photos of this male Roughie were sharp.

Our Rough-legged Hawks will be migrating soon. I’m delighted that I found this male in the West Desert yesterday. Will he be the last one I photograph this season? I hope not.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to view more of my Rough-legged Hawk photos plus facts and information about this species.