{"id":97953,"date":"2021-12-06T04:54:09","date_gmt":"2021-12-06T11:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=97953"},"modified":"2021-12-06T05:11:44","modified_gmt":"2021-12-06T12:11:44","slug":"adult-rough-legged-hawk-calling-plus-photos-of-a-younger-roughie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/12\/06\/adult-rough-legged-hawk-calling-plus-photos-of-a-younger-roughie\/","title":{"rendered":"Adult Rough-legged Hawk Calling Plus Photos Of A Younger Roughie"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AdultAdult Rough-legged Hawk male calling \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/800, ISO 800, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

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. When I spotted this slightly damp, light morph male in this shrub I didn’t expect to hear it call.<\/p>\n

This information comes from birdsoftheworld.org<\/span><\/a>:<\/p>\n

Usually silent when away from breeding areas but gives call \u201csimilar to a faint Red-tailed Hawk alarm call\u201d during intraspecific territorial disputes.<\/em><\/p>\n

I have only heard Rough-legged Hawks calling twice and both times it has happened in northern Utah. I was excited to hear the call of this Rough-legged Hawk.<\/p>\n

Several hundred yards away from the damp looking adult male that called I spotted a second Rough-legged Hawk perched on a flexible plastic marker post. That second bird might be the reason this adult male called<\/span><\/a> out over the marsh.<\/p>\n

* Note: In Europe Rough-legged Hawks are called Rough-legged Buzzards which is why the recording I linked to above says buzzard and not hawk in the title of the recording.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"ImmatureImmature Rough-legged Hawk looking at the ground \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/800, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

The adult male Rough-legged Hawk may have called out to this immature hawk to let him or her know that they were encroaching on the adult’s winter hunting territory.<\/p>\n

For several years in a row I have consistently found a light morph, adult male Rough-legged Hawk in this same area of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I can’t be 100% positive that it is always the same bird without it being banded but I suspect that it is the same male returning year after year. If that is the case I can understand why the adult might feel territorial.<\/p>\n

\"ImmatureImmature light morph Rough-legged Hawk in the marsh \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/800, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

The younger Rough-legged Hawk was relaxed but alert when I photographed them. They scanned the nearby area with their keen eyes as if they were looking for prey. At the time I hoped that I would see the immature bird of prey lift off and capture prey.<\/p>\n

\"ImmatureImmature light morph Rough-legged Hawk looking over its back \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/640, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

The young Rough-legged Hawk was in lovely light with a wonderful background, the only wish I had was that the bird was on a natural perch instead of the bright, white plastic one that they were on.<\/p>\n

Then a hunter in a pickup hauling a boat drove past and the immature Rough-legged Hawk took off.<\/p>\n

\"YoungYoung Rough-legged Hawk on Do Not Enter sign \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/640, ISO 500, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

The young Rough-legged Hawk flew several hundred yards to the west and landed on a “Do Not Enter” sign where I was able to photograph it.<\/p>\n

I spotted more Rough-legged Hawks yesterday where I wasn’t able to get close enough to them to take photographs but my finding these two individuals made the trip to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge<\/span><\/a> worth the long drive especially since I was able to hear the adult calling out over the frosty marsh.<\/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":"

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":97938,"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":[4004,970,4007,4008,4275,2497,4072,4620,4033,4169,4067,2670,4062,4094,4069,4104,153,1648,6188,30,4095,4193],"class_list":["post-97953","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-autumn","tag-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","tag-box-elder-county","tag-buteo-lagopus","tag-buteos","tag-calling","tag-fall","tag-hawk","tag-hawks","tag-immature","tag-light-morph","tag-male","tag-marsh","tag-mountains","tag-perched","tag-raptors","tag-rough-legged-hawk","tag-shrub","tag-utah-2","tag-wetlands","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/rough-legged-hawk-calling-adult-male-mia-mcpherson-8162.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-ptT","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":107524,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/10\/25\/rough-legged-hawk-season-has-begun\/","url_meta":{"origin":97953,"position":0},"title":"Rough-legged Hawk Season Has Begun","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 25, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Rough-legged Hawk season has begun in northern Utah. I spotted my first of season Rough-legged Hawks on the wing last Friday.","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 light morph Rough-legged Hawk on a February morning, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rough-legged-hawk-adult-male-info-sign-mia-mcpherson-9795.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/rough-legged-hawk-adult-male-info-sign-mia-mcpherson-9795.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/rough-legged-male-portrait-mia-mcpherson-7518.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/rough-legged-male-portrait-mia-mcpherson-7518.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/rough-legged-male-portrait-mia-mcpherson-7518.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/rough-legged-male-portrait-mia-mcpherson-7518.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":109503,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/01\/11\/rough-legged-hawk-staredown\/","url_meta":{"origin":97953,"position":3},"title":"Rough-legged Hawk Staredown","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 11, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"One year ago this morning I was on the road to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge where my best subject of the day was a male light morph 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 staredown, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/rough-legged-hawk-stare-down-mia-mcpherson-8178.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/rough-legged-hawk-stare-down-mia-mcpherson-8178.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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