{"id":98545,"date":"2021-12-30T06:19:54","date_gmt":"2021-12-30T13:19:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=98545"},"modified":"2025-10-01T16:25:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T21:25:51","slug":"male-rough-legged-hawk-the-first-bird-i-photographed-in-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/12\/30\/male-rough-legged-hawk-the-first-bird-i-photographed-in-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Male Rough-legged Hawk – The First Bird I Photographed in 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Rough-leggedRough-legged Hawk portrait on a frigid January morning \u2013 Nikon D500, f8, 1\/1000, ISO 500, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

The first bird I photographed in 2021 was this adult male Rough-legged Hawk perched above the wetlands at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

I feel that I should clarify and say that it was the first bird I photographed with my bird photography gear<\/em> because earlier in the month I had photographed and videoed European Starlings from my living room window using my cell phone.<\/p>\n

Being factual<\/em> when I write the stories behind my images is very important to me. For some people? It doesn’t seem important at all.<\/p>\n

I came upon the Rough-legged Hawk just as I arrived at the auto tour route. I saw many more birds at the refuge that morning and took hundreds of photos. On the way out of the auto tour loop I photographed what was probably the same Rough-legged Hawk before I headed east to I-15.<\/p>\n

Sadly the structure that this Rough-legged Hawk was perched on that frigid January morning is no longer there.<\/p>\n

I was at the refuge one morning in September and saw that the structure was being removed. I don’t know why, it didn’t seem to pose a threat to anyone or any living thing.<\/p>\n

I just know that now the Rough-legged Hawks don’t have it to perch on while they scan the area for prey.<\/p>\n

This past week or so I have been thinking about the photos I have taken this past year, about the birds I have found and taken images of, the journeys I have taken, and about the birds I have missed taking images of for one reason or another.<\/p>\n

The end of the year is in my face and that always seems to make me reflect on what I was happy with and what could have been better over the past year.<\/p>\n

I skip the tradition of making New Year’s resolutions however I do think about setting goals and making changes. There is always room to grow, to learn, and become better at what I do.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

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

The first bird I photographed in 2021 was this adult male Rough-legged Hawk perched above the wetlands at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":98547,"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":[4004,2663,4275,2497,4142,4033,4169,2386,4062,4094,4046,153,1648,4018,4095,373],"class_list":["post-98545","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-close-up","tag-hawk","tag-hawks","tag-hawks-of-utah","tag-male","tag-marsh","tag-portrait","tag-raptors","tag-rough-legged-hawk","tag-sky","tag-wetlands","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/rough-legged-hawk-adult-male-winter-mia-mcpherson-4135.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-pDr","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":98545,"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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McPherson","date":"January 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Once upon a time, and not so long ago, I could count on seeing this light-morph Rough-legged Hawk at a specific area of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge tour route.","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":"Light Morph Rough-legged Hawk male portrait, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/rough-legged-hawk-portrait-mia-mcpherson-8147.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/rough-legged-hawk-portrait-mia-mcpherson-8147.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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