Buteos – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Immature Red-tailed, Rough-legged, Ferruginous and Swainson’s Hawks

By Mia McPherson|January 27th, 2013|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Davis County, Ferruginous Hawks, Montana, Red-tailed Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, Swainson's Hawks, Utah|Tags: bird ID, birds of prey, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteo lagopus, Buteo regalis, Buteo swainsoni, Buteos, Ferruginous Hawk, hawks, immature, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Swainson's Hawk|

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.

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Red-shouldered Hawk Juvenile – Small In The Frame

By Mia McPherson|January 25th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Red-shouldered Hawks, Sawgrass Lake Park, Small in the frame|Tags: bamboo, Buteo lineatus, Buteos, early morning light, Florida, grasses, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Florida, immature, juvenile, perched, raptors, Red-shouldered Hawk, Sawgrass Lake Park, small in the frame, spring, swamp, trees|

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.

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Red-tailed Hawk fly by

By Mia McPherson|December 23rd, 2012|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: autumn, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteos, fall, flight, fly by, flying, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, juvenile, Red-tailed Hawk, sky, Utah|

I photographed this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk flying by last month at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area in Davis County.

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Appearing Soon – Rough-legged Hawks

By Mia McPherson|October 13th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, perched, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, Salt Lake Valley, winter|

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.

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Rough-legged Hawk ~ Friday Photos

By Mia McPherson|June 29th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, branches, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, light morph, perched, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, sky, tree, winter, young|

Rough-legged Hawks breed in the Arctic so we don't see them around here in northern Utah during the summer.

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Rough-legged Hawks – Is It Time To Say Goodbye?

By Mia McPherson|February 26th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, flight, flying, hawks, lift off, light morph, nature, preening, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk|

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.

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Ferruginous Hawk in Tooele County, Utah

By Mia McPherson|February 8th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Ferruginous Hawks, Tooele County, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, balanced, birds of prey, Buteo regalis, Buteos, desert, fall, feathered legs, fence post, Ferruginous Hawk, flight, flying, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, lift off, light morph, perched, sky, Tooele County, Utah, west desert, wing lift|

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.

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Rough-legged Hawk Kiting, Being Bit and Eating on the Fly

By Mia McPherson|January 19th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, eating, eating in flight, flight, flying, goofy, Great Salt Lake, hawks, Hawks of Utah, hovering, immature, kiting, prey, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, vole, young|

These images are from an afternoon just like that when I happened to find and point out a lovely Rough-legged Hawk on a breezy day.

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High Key Fun

By Mia McPherson|December 14th, 2011|Categories: Bald Eagles, Birds, Davis County, Mallards, Rough-legged Hawks, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Anas platyrhynchos, Bald Eagle, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, ducks, female, flight, flying, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, hawk, hen, high key, immature, lift off, low light, Mallard, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, snow, snowy, winter|

It seems that people either love high key images or they hate them. Personally; I believe that when a high key image is done well that they can be very appealing and have a place for them in my portfolio.

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Friday Photos – Yes, Another Rough-legged Hawk

By Mia McPherson|December 9th, 2011|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, desert island, flight, flying, hawks, immature, lift off, light morph, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, young|

I can relate to the hawk in a way, just like it doesn't always get the prey it is intent on, I don't always get the shots I want.

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Cooperative Rough-legged Hawk Preening

By Mia McPherson|November 30th, 2011|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: Antelope Island State Park, back view, birds of prey, buteo, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, comical, feet, funny, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, light morph, perched, post, preening, raptors, regal, Rough-legged Hawk, side view, wooden post|

Last week though I had the opportunity to photograph a very cooperative Rough-legged Hawk preening.

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More Rough-legged Hawks

By Mia McPherson|November 20th, 2011|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Rough-legged Hawks, Tooele County, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, desert island, flight, hawks, immature, lift off, light morph, mountains, natural habitat, perched, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, Stansbury Mountains, young|

I have been very pleased to add so many images of Rough-legged Hawks to my portfolio in just the past week and hopefully these Roughies will stick around until late February of next year so there will be many more opportunities.

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Rough-legged Hawks

By Mia McPherson|November 13th, 2011|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: autumn, bird ID, birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, desert island, fall, hare-footed, hawk, hawks, immature, light morph, perched, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, young|

Eureka! The Rough-legged Hawks are back from their high subarctic and Arctic breeding grounds and they seem to be showing up in larger numbers than I have seen them since I moved to Utah.

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Ferruginous Hawk – A Regal Raptor

By Mia McPherson|November 7th, 2011|Categories: Birds, Ferruginous Hawks, Tooele County, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, birds of prey, Buteo regalis, Buteos, desert, fall, Ferruginous Hawk, flight, flying, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, lift off, light morph, raptors, sky, west desert|

Ferruginous Hawks 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.

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