{"id":120091,"date":"2024-01-24T05:17:24","date_gmt":"2024-01-24T12:17:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=120091"},"modified":"2024-01-24T06:48:09","modified_gmt":"2024-01-24T13:48:09","slug":"rough-legged-hawk-on-a-no-swimming-sign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/01\/24\/rough-legged-hawk-on-a-no-swimming-sign\/","title":{"rendered":"Rough-legged Hawk On A No Swimming Sign"},"content":{"rendered":"

While looking for a photo to share this morning, I found this immature Rough-legged Hawk on a No Swimming Sign, with the snowy Wasatch Mountains in the background.<\/p>\n

The sign was, or maybe it used to be, on the causeway to Antelope Island State Park. I don’t know; I haven’t been to the island in a couple of years now. There is a story behind that, but that is for another day, another time.<\/p>\n

\"Rough-leggedRough-legged Hawk on a No Swimming sign on the causeway to Antelope Island \u2013 Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/2500, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 314mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

This Rough-legged Hawk photo was taken twelve years ago today. There was plenty of snow on the Wasatch Mountains in the background so it is safe to say it was cold. Probably even bitter cold. I’m pretty sure the hawk didn’t even think about going swimming in the Great Salt Lake.<\/p>\n

As I edited this Rough-legged Hawk photo this morning I realized something. Of all the hawks I have photographed that are in my photo galleries this raptor species has earned a remarkably peculiar distinction.<\/p>\n

It’s a Sign.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Scrolling through my Rough-legged Hawk photo gallery, I noticed that I have an awful lot of photos of this species perched on signs: one-way signs, speed limit signs, waterfowl rest area signs, yield signs, designated parking signs, interpretive signs, parking area signs, shotgun shell possession signs, high water signs, do not enter signs, and more.<\/p>\n

In my galleries, no other raptor species that I have photographed appear to spend as much time on signs<\/span><\/a> as Rough-legged Hawks. Maybe no other birds in my galleries have.<\/p>\n

I absolutely don’t know.<\/p>\n

Maybe it is<\/em> a sign?<\/p>\n

But of what?<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

P.S., I have an earworm<\/span><\/a> now. If you are near my age, you might have one too.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to view more of my Rough-legged Hawk photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While looking for a photo to share this morning I found this immature Rough-legged Hawk on a No Swimming Sign with the snowy Wasatch Mountains in the background.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":120084,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,27,1022,1087,26],"tags":[2663,4275,2497,464,3981,4033,4169,90,4067,4069,14659,4104,153,1648,4681,4050,4328,2239,4176,373],"class_list":["post-120091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-rough-legged-hawks","category-utah","tag-birds-of-prey","tag-buteo-lagopus","tag-buteos","tag-causeway","tag-davis-county","tag-hawk","tag-hawks","tag-humor-2","tag-immature","tag-mountains","tag-no-swimming-sign","tag-perched","tag-raptors","tag-rough-legged-hawk","tag-sign","tag-snow","tag-snowy","tag-sub-adult","tag-wasatch-mountains","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Rough-legged-Hawk-no-swimming-sign-ma-mcpheerson-9223.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-veX","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9957,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/10\/25\/wishful-thinking\/","url_meta":{"origin":120091,"position":0},"title":"Wishful Thinking And A Rough-legged Hawk","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"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.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Rough-legged Hawk and prey in flight over the Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/rough-legged-hawk-vole-mia-mcpherson-9433.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/rough-legged-hawk-vole-mia-mcpherson-9433.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/rough-legged-hawk-vole-mia-mcpherson-9433.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/rough-legged-hawk-vole-mia-mcpherson-9433.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6340,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/10\/13\/appearing-soon-rough-legged-hawks\/","url_meta":{"origin":120091,"position":1},"title":"Appearing Soon – Rough-legged Hawks","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"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.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Roughie perched on a mile marker post on the causeway to Antelope Island State Park, Utah. 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