{"id":55634,"date":"2019-01-13T06:31:55","date_gmt":"2019-01-13T13:31:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=55634"},"modified":"2025-04-02T06:37:46","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T11:37:46","slug":"eye-level-with-a-rough-legged-hawk-carrying-prey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/01\/13\/eye-level-with-a-rough-legged-hawk-carrying-prey\/","title":{"rendered":"Eye Level With A Rough-legged Hawk Carrying Prey"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Rough-leggedRough-legged Hawk in flight with prey on a brisk December day – Nikon D300, f7.1, 1\/3200, ISO 400, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

There is something about being eye level with raptors and being able to look directly into their eyes that is very appealing to me because I feel connected to them when that happens. Being at eye level with this Rough-legged Hawk carrying prey along the causeway to Antelope Island is an experience I won’t soon forget.<\/p>\n

This Rough-legged Hawk put on quite a show<\/span><\/a> in December of 2011 while diving for prey, carrying it in its talons, dropping it, recapturing it, consuming it and then hovering and kiting in the wind on the north side of the 7 mile long causeway to the island.<\/p>\n

It was later in the day than I normally shoot but because it was winter and the sun was low on the horizon I still had nice light on the hawk while I photographed it for just about 30 minutes. Looking at this photo today made me remember that there are times when I should drop what ever I am doing when the sun pops out on winter days and get out into the field because you just never know what you might find.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/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":"

Being at eye level with this Rough-legged Hawk carrying prey along the causeway to Antelope Island is an experience I won’t soon forget. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":142488,"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":[2663,4275,2497,464,7934,4052,4122,4005,4033,4169,2386,4106,153,1648,373],"class_list":["post-55634","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-eye-level","tag-flight","tag-flying","tag-great-salt-lake","tag-hawk","tag-hawks","tag-hawks-of-utah","tag-prey","tag-raptors","tag-rough-legged-hawk","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/rough-legged-hawk-flight-mia-mcpherson-9353.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-etk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9957,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/10\/25\/wishful-thinking\/","url_meta":{"origin":55634,"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, 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