{"id":75556,"date":"2020-11-27T05:36:53","date_gmt":"2020-11-27T12:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=75556"},"modified":"2025-07-13T06:07:40","modified_gmt":"2025-07-13T11:07:40","slug":"focusing-on-adult-male-rough-legged-hawks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/11\/27\/focusing-on-adult-male-rough-legged-hawks\/","title":{"rendered":"Focusing On Adult Male Rough-legged Hawks"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AdultAdult male Rough-legged Hawk perched in a Russian Olive tree \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 500, +1.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

Ten days ago I found and photographed this adult male Rough-legged Hawk as it perched on a Russian Olive tree at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge when I was heading home. While I wish that he had been closer I was delighted to see him because I see more female and immature Rough-legged Hawks than I do adult males here in northern Utah.<\/p>\n

When I see adult male Rough-legged Hawks I get excited and do my best to get them in my viewfinder.<\/p>\n

\"HighHigh Key adult male Rough-legged Hawk in flight \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 500, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

Three years ago I was happy to spot a male Rough-legged Hawk in flight in far northern Utah. At first the male was in front of a plain blue sky and I took several photos of it. Then he flew in front of a cloud and and I knew I could take a few high key images of him as he flew past me.<\/p>\n

When I first started focusing on and photographing Rough-legged Hawks I struggled a bit with sexing and aging them but over time and with experience it has gotten much easier to identify the sex of the adult birds even though there is some variation in their plumage.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult male Rough-legged Hawk perched on a stump in a marsh \u2013 Nikon D810, f9, 1\/320, ISO 250, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

I photographed this adult male Rough-legged Hawk at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge<\/span><\/a> five years ago. I found it perched on a stump in the frosty marsh as I was leaving the auto tour route. This male preened, roused, pooped and posed before he took off across the river. He was my best bird of that day on that chilly morning. My fingers got numb because it was so cold that day but he was worth it.<\/p>\n

I’m hoping to find, focus on and to photograph more adult male Rough-legged Hawks this winter along with immature and female birds. I think that when we finally get snow that actually sticks around my chances for that will increase.<\/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":"

Ten days ago I found and photographed this adult male Rough-legged Hawk as it perched on a Russian Olive tree at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge when I was heading home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":150247,"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":[124,27,1148,1087,26],"tags":[4004,2663,4275,2497,4101,4052,4122,4033,4169,2386,1123,4062,4094,4104,4063,153,1648,5577,4018,5113,4427,373],"class_list":["post-75556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-rough-legged-hawks","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-birds-of-prey","tag-buteo-lagopus","tag-buteos","tag-clouds","tag-flight","tag-flying","tag-hawk","tag-hawks","tag-hawks-of-utah","tag-high-key-2","tag-male","tag-marsh","tag-perched","tag-raptor","tag-raptors","tag-rough-legged-hawk","tag-russian-olive","tag-sky","tag-stump","tag-tree","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/rough-legged-hawk-adult-male-light-morph-mia-mcpherson-4908.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-jEE","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":62584,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/01\/11\/adult-male-rough-legged-hawk-perched-on-a-russian-olive\/","url_meta":{"origin":75556,"position":0},"title":"Adult Male Rough-legged Hawk Perched On A Russian Olive","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I could wish that there weren't any branches in front of the hawk but honestly it just felt good to not have something happen to ruin my opportunity to photograph this Rough-legged Hawk.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Rough-legged Hawk perched on a Russian Olive tree, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, 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Hawk – The First Bird I Photographed in 2021","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 30, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The first bird I photographed in 2021 was this adult male Rough-legged Hawk perched above the wetlands at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Rough-legged Hawk portrait on a frigid January morning, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, 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McPherson","date":"December 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The first great opportunity I had with them this year was this male Rough-legged Hawk perched on a stump at Bear River National Wildlife Refuge in Box Elder County.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Rough-legged Hawk looking down at the marsh, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rough-legged-hawk-male-mia-mcpherson-8124.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-8124.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Rough-legged Hawk adult male with dark clouds in the background, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/rough-legged-hawk-adult-male-mia-mcpherson-5308.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/rough-legged-hawk-adult-male-mia-mcpherson-5308.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/rough-legged-hawk-adult-male-mia-mcpherson-5308.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/rough-legged-hawk-adult-male-mia-mcpherson-5308.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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Rough-legged Hawk Calling Plus Photos Of A Younger Roughie","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 6, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday I heard a male Rough-legged Hawk calling which is highly unusual away from their breeding grounds in the Arctic tundra and taiga of the far north.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Rough-legged Hawk male calling, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, 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