{"id":6340,"date":"2012-10-13T06:07:40","date_gmt":"2012-10-13T12:07:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=6340"},"modified":"2024-09-23T04:07:20","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T09:07:20","slug":"appearing-soon-rough-legged-hawks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/10\/13\/appearing-soon-rough-legged-hawks\/","title":{"rendered":"Appearing Soon – Rough-legged Hawks"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"RoughieRough-legged Hawk perched on a mile marker post – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/2000, ISO 1000, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 321mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

The temperatures are dropping, the leaves are changing color, mornings are getting frosty and snow is starting to fall in the high country. These things remind me that old Man Winter is about to arrive and along with him the Rough-legged Hawks (Buteo lagopus<\/em>)\u00a0will soon appear.<\/p>\n

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. Most of the Rough-legged Hawks I saw and photographed last year were immature, I’d sure like to see more adults this winter.<\/p>\n

The immature hawk above was perched on a mile marker along the causeway to Antelope Island State Park<\/span><\/a>, I sure wish the post had been a natural perch.<\/p>\n

\"Rough-leggedRough-legged Hawk – Nikon D300, f9, 1\/800, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 357mm, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

Photographing Rough-legged Hawks last winter was so much fun because they were so numerous, some mornings I would see more than 25 in just a couple of hours.<\/p>\n

Will this year bring us as many Rough-legged Hawks to the Salt Lake Valley? That remains to be seen of course but I’ve been hearing reports of them getting closer to arrival.<\/p>\n

I can’t wait!<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

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

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":134925,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[511,1022,1087,26],"tags":[2663,4275,2497,4033,4169,2386,4067,4104,153,1648,4081,373],"class_list":["post-6340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-davis-county-utah","category-rough-legged-hawks","category-utah","tag-birds-of-prey","tag-buteo-lagopus","tag-buteos","tag-hawk","tag-hawks","tag-hawks-of-utah","tag-immature","tag-perched","tag-raptors","tag-rough-legged-hawk","tag-salt-lake-valley","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/rough-legged-hawk-mia-mcpherson-8813.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-1Eg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3677,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2011\/11\/13\/rough-legged-hawks\/","url_meta":{"origin":6340,"position":0},"title":"Rough-legged Hawks","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 13, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"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.","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 perched on a large Tintic Quartzite boulder, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rough-legged-hawk-mia-mcpherson-7996.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rough-legged-hawk-mia-mcpherson-7996.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rough-legged-hawk-mia-mcpherson-7996.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rough-legged-hawk-mia-mcpherson-7996.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":28899,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/10\/04\/keeping-an-eye-on-the-sky-for-rough-legged-hawks\/","url_meta":{"origin":6340,"position":1},"title":"Keeping An Eye On The Sky For Rough-legged Hawks","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"It is early October but I am already starting to get excited about seeing my first of the season Rough-legged Hawks.","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":"Male Rough-legged Hawk perched along the Antelope Island State Park causeway, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rough-legged-hawk-male-mia-mcpherson-5806.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rough-legged-hawk-male-mia-mcpherson-5806.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rough-legged-hawk-male-mia-mcpherson-5806.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rough-legged-hawk-male-mia-mcpherson-5806.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10025,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/10\/30\/rough-legged-hawk-on-a-foggy-winter-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":6340,"position":2},"title":"Rough-legged Hawk on a foggy winter day","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 30, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"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.","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 on a foggy day, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rough-legged-hawk-flying-mia-mcpherson-8888.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rough-legged-hawk-flying-mia-mcpherson-8888.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rough-legged-hawk-flying-mia-mcpherson-8888.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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McPherson","date":"June 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Rough-legged Hawks breed in the Arctic so we don't see them around here in northern Utah during the summer.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Rough-legged Hawk on a tree at Farmington Bay WMA, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rough-legged-hawk-mia-mcpherson-3576.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rough-legged-hawk-mia-mcpherson-3576.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rough-legged-hawk-mia-mcpherson-3576.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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