Ferruginous Hawk in flight and chicks in a nest

Flight shot of Ferruginous Hawk with wings up – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/4000, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited

Ferruginous Hawks are the largest hawk in North America which are only found in Canada and the United States and recent DNA analysis suggests that Ferruginous Hawks may be closer to Eagles in taxonomy than that of a hawk. Whether they are Ferruginous Hawks or Ferruginous Eagles in the future they are very impressive raptors all the same.

I am fortunate to be able to see and photograph these regal hawks in Utah and Montana. I photographed the adult Ferruginous Hawk above while it was in flight over the foothills of the Stansbury Mountains in Tooele County, Utah.

Ferruginous Hawk chicks and adult in their nest

Sorry for the cruddy image quality of this image of Ferruginous Hawk chicks and an adult in their nest in Madison County, Montana, this nest was near a road and was strongly backlit because of the sun being behind them. It was a delight to watch the young chicks in the nest without disturbing their normal activity by using a vehicle as a mobile blind. I saw the same nest about two weeks later and all the chicks were doing quite well. The mountains in the background are the Madison Range.

Where ever I see Ferruginous Hawks they take my breath away with their strength, beauty and wildness.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Ferruginous Hawk photos plus facts and information about this species.