{"id":79806,"date":"2021-02-26T06:43:14","date_gmt":"2021-02-26T13:43:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=79806"},"modified":"2025-10-01T15:23:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T20:23:12","slug":"male-rough-legged-hawk-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/02\/26\/male-rough-legged-hawk-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"Male Rough-legged Hawk Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AdultAdult male Rough-legged Hawk with snowy mountains in the background \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/4000, ISO 640, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier this week I photographed a light morph, adult male Rough-legged Hawk in the West Desert of Utah<\/span><\/a> with three different backgrounds. The first two photos show the Rough-legged Hawk perched on a large rock with snow covered mountains in the background. This first image shows a tiny bit of the blue sky in the upper right hand corner of the frame.<\/p>\n

\"MaleMale Rough-legged Hawk with snow covered mountains in the background \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/4000, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

This second photo was taken from a second location on the road with the snow covered mountains in the background. The shadows on the crevices of the snowy mountains are different because of the change in where I was positioned next to the road.<\/p>\n

Both of these photos have visual interest in the background because of the snow covered peaks of the mountains. The Rough-legged Hawk stands out well in the two images and to my eye they are visually appealing in part because of the unique backgrounds.<\/p>\n

Both of these photos would make me wonder what is in the background and where were the images taken if I hadn’t created them myself and if I didn’t already know exactly where this hawk was photograhed.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult male Rough-legged Hawk with a plain blue sky background \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2500, ISO 640, +1.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

The last photo has far less visual appeal to me with nothing but a blue sky in the background. I also don’t think I’d wonder where it was taken because it does not stimulate that kind of thought process in me when I view the photo.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult male Rough-legged Hawk lifting off with its feet still on a rock \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2500, ISO 640, +1.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

A few days ago I shared an image of this same Rough-legged Hawk<\/span><\/a> lifting off from this pile of rocks that had this plain blue sky. I’m sharing that photo again to make a comparison.<\/p>\n

I love the pose of this hawk but the background? It does not excite or appeal to me.<\/p>\n

\"WinterWinter Ferruginous Hawk perched on rocks \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/6400, ISO 800, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

Three winters ago I photographed a light morph Ferruginous Hawk on this same pile of rocks. This hawk was perched on a rock that was just a few feet away from where the male Rough-legged Hawk was perched this week. You can see the rock the Ferruginous was perched on in the second photo I shared in this post.<\/p>\n

\"WinterWinter Ferruginous Hawk right after lifting off \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/6400, ISO 800, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

When the Ferruginous Hawk lifted off I had the snow covered mountains on the background which in my opinion created a stronger and more visually appealing image than the one of the Rough-legged Hawk lifting off from the same pile of rocks with a plain blue sky.<\/p>\n

The rock the Rough-legged Hawk lifted off from five days ago can be seen here at the far right side of this photo.<\/p>\n

Personal tastes vary greatly when it comes to backgrounds and composition in photos. Your opinion may vary wildly from mine but I know that I prefer the snow covered mountains in the backgrounds of these images to the ones with the plain blue sky.<\/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. Click here<\/a><\/span> to see more of my Ferruginous Hawk photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Earlier this week I photographed a light morph, adult male Rough-legged Hawk in the West Desert of Utah with three different backgrounds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":158876,"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":[27,1069,1087,358,26,1314],"tags":[4004,211,2663,2069,4275,4268,2497,2092,4033,4169,2386,2670,4062,4069,153,4921,4470,1648,4677,4018,4050,4093,4328],"class_list":["post-79806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-ferruginous-hawks","category-rough-legged-hawks","category-tooele-county","category-utah","category-west-desert-utah","tag-adult","tag-background","tag-birds-of-prey","tag-blue-sky","tag-buteo-lagopus","tag-buteo-regalis","tag-buteos","tag-ferruginous-hawk","tag-hawk","tag-hawks","tag-hawks-of-utah","tag-light-morph","tag-male","tag-mountains","tag-raptors","tag-rock","tag-rocks","tag-rough-legged-hawk","tag-shadows","tag-sky","tag-snow","tag-snow-covered","tag-snowy"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/rough-legged-hawk-adult-male-rocks-and-mountains-mia-mcpherson-4371.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-kLc","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":140996,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/03\/02\/male-rough-legged-hawk-surveying-the-foothills-of-the-stansbury-mountains\/","url_meta":{"origin":79806,"position":0},"title":"Male Rough-legged Hawk Surveying The Foothills Of The Stansbury Mountains","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"It's been four years since I photographed this gorgeous male Rough-legged Hawk as he surveyed the foothills of the Stansbury Mountains in Utah's West Desert.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Rough-legged Hawk in the West Desert of Utah, Tooele County","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/rough-legged-hawk-adult-male-fence-post-utah-mia-mcpherson-6308.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/rough-legged-hawk-adult-male-fence-post-utah-mia-mcpherson-6308.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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I hope to spot one soon.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult male light morph Rough-legged Hawk on a rock pile, West Desert, Tooele County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/rough-legged-hawk-adult-male-rocks-and-mountains-mia-mcpherson-4354.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/rough-legged-hawk-adult-male-rocks-and-mountains-mia-mcpherson-4354.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/rough-legged-hawk-adult-male-rocks-and-mountains-mia-mcpherson-4354.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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