Red-tailed Hawks Near The Promontory Mountains
Yesterday I spent the morning in Box Elder County driving along the Promontory Mountain Range and Red-tailed Hawks were the most numerous raptors I saw.
Pair of Swainson’s Hawks in Beaverhead County, Montana
I am itching to get back out in the field with Swainson's Hawks partly because they are handsome raptors and partly because by now there might be some young that have fledged.
Swainson’s Hawk in Box Elder County
I am always happy to photograph Swainson's Hawks no matter where I find them so I was pleased to find this one perched on a lichen covered rock yesterday in Box Elder County, Utah.
Red-shouldered Hawk Surveying Fort De Soto’s North Beach
This Red-shouldered Hawk was just a few feet away from a tidal lagoon and just yards away from the Gulf when I photographed it in November of 2008.
Raising my glass to 2015!
Raising the glass attached to my camera that is! I'm excited about the photographic opportunities that will present themselves in 2015.
Goodbye 2014!
As 2014 comes to an end I know I have tons to be grateful for in my personal life, my ever growing passion for bird and nature photography and life in general.
Christmas Day snow storm and a Red-tailed Hawk
I'm glad the hawk wasn't any closer or I would have missed out on exactly this image that I will always remember was created on this Christmas Day.
Red-tailed Hawk lifting off
Lately it has been wonderful to see and photograph more birds including raptors. I think the long dry spell that started the end of July might be over finally.
One serious looking Red-tailed Hawk
I love the stare of raptors because they always appear so serious, intense and they have a no-nonsense look to their eyes like this Red-tailed Hawk has.
A Cedar Valley Red-tailed Hawk
Just a simple Red-tailed Hawk in flight image that I took early last week in Cedar Valley on a bright, clear day.
Snow Birds – Rough-legged Hawks
But for me the "Snow Birds" I have grown to love here in Utah are Rough-legged Hawks who only visit in the winter and spend the rest of their lives breeding in high subarctic and Arctic regions.
Rough-legged Hawk lifting off
Rough-legged Hawks are among my favorites of the raptors that over winter in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah because I only see them at this time of the year while they wait to head back to the subarctic and Arctic to breed.
Dorsal view of a Rough-legged Hawk in flight
I woke up to a fine layer of snow on the ground this morning and silly as it may sound that gets me excited for the birds that over winter in the Salt Lake Valley such as this Rough-legged Hawk.
Rough-legged Hawk on a foggy winter day
This past Sunday I saw my first of the season Rough-legged Hawks and I was absolutely thrilled. There were definitely five different birds and a possible sixth.
Wishful Thinking
Two years ago I photographed this Rough-legged Hawk with a vole in its talons as it flew along the causeway to Antelope Island State Park with the Great Salt Lake in the background.
Playing Favorites – Rough-legged Hawk
Rough-legged Hawks are on their way south from their Arctic breeding grounds and will soon be making their appearance here in Utah.
Red-tailed Hawk on the red rocks of the Centennial Valley – Finally!
Since my first visit to the Centennial Valley of Montana on June 18, 2010 I have wanted to photograph a bird; preferably a raptor, on the reddish orange lichen covered rocks found throughout the valley. On this last trip that finally happened!
Frustrations in Bird Photography – Dark Morph Ferruginous Hawk
The dark morph Ferruginous Hawk above had just lifted off from a power pole when I photographed it with a partly cloudy sky in the background.
Young Red-tailed Hawk
Last month while up in Montana I saw this young Red-tailed Hawk just standing in the road looking around and not acting the least bit concerned about the pickup or the two large lens that were pointed at it.
What is the last thing a Jackrabbit might see – A Ferruginous Hawk
Ferruginous Hawks west of the Continental Divide prefer rabbits as prey so what you see here might be the last thing a Cottontail or Jackrabbit might see.
Ferruginous Hawk in Montana
Ferruginous Hawks fascinate me, they are large, handsome and regal raptors. This one just appears to me to be surveying its kingdom from the top of a ranch gate in the Centennial Valley.
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk Learning To Hunt
This juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk was perched on a metal fence post so I opted to go for a portrait to remove the "hand of man".
Rough-legged Hawks
This year hasn't provided me with as many opportunities to photograph Rough-legged Hawks as last winter did and before long these raptors will be heading to the high Arctic to find mates on their breeding grounds.
Immature Red-tailed, Rough-legged, Ferruginous and Swainson’s Hawks
Today I thought I would post images of the juvenile Buteos that I see most often in Utah and Montana, they are Red-tailed, Rough-legged, Ferruginous and Swainson's Hawks.
Red-shouldered Hawk Juvenile – Small In The Frame
Five days ago I posted a Bald Eagle image where the eagle was small in the frame and explained that I felt that the setting was as important as the subject, I also feel that way about this image of a Red-shouldered Hawk juvenile perched in a tree.
Appearing Soon – Rough-legged Hawks
Last winter was awesome for seeing Rough-legged Hawks and I am hoping they had another great breeding season and that they will show up here in large numbers to over winter.
Rough-legged Hawk ~ Friday Photos
Rough-legged Hawks breed in the Arctic so we don't see them around here in northern Utah during the summer.
Rough-legged Hawks – Is it time to say goodbye?
I have had such amazing experiences with Rough-legged Hawks this winter. I've captured them in flight, preening, eating, hovering, kiting, resting and so much more.
Ferruginous Hawk in Tooele County, Utah
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.
Rough-legged Hawk Kiting, Being Bit and Eating on the Fly
Some days are wonderful for bird photography especially when the subject is close, exhibits interesting behavior and the light is in my favor. These images are from an afternoon just like that when I happened across a lovely Rough-legged Hawk on a breezy day.