Swainson’s Hawk perched in sage – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 500, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited
I found a pair of Swainson’s Hawks perched on a hillside yesterday morning in Box Elder County in northern Utah in soft light. One of the Swainson’s Hawks was perched on an ugly metal post at the top of the hill.
The Swainson’s Hawk that I spent the most time photographing was snuggled into the top of a sage and he was very calm and confiding. He appeared to be looking for prey in the field that was across the road.
The new growth of the sagebrush is just below the stems that held last year’s flowers and seeds. I could smell the pungent scent of the sage as I photographed this hawk.
Adult Swainson’s Hawk nestled into sage – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 500, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited
Unlike the first adult perched at the top of the hill this Swainson’s Hawk was more challenging to point out because it was nestled into the top of the sage and the raptor blended into the sagebrush habitat quite well.
The Swainson’s Hawk was close enough to the road that I was able to take frame filling images of him. This photo is full frame and if he had been any closer I would have had to take my 1.4x teleconverter off to fit all of his body into my viewfinder.
Adult Swainson’s Hawk on a sagebrush perch – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 500, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited
The hawk took a short flight from the first sagebrush and landed at the top of a second sage. I was delighted to photograph him in a slightly different setting.
What I liked about all three of these images of the Swainson’s Hawk perched on the sagebrush dotted hillside that I am sharing today is that the sky is broken up by out of focus sage in the background which conveys a sense of depth that would be lacking if it were just a pain blue sky.
I spotted quite a few Swainson’s Hawks yesterday morning while I was out in the field. This Swainson’s was in the most appealing setting of them all and he was also the most cooperative.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Swainson’s Hawk photos plus facts and information about this species.
I love the eye contact and the combination of colors and textures is wonderful. Thanks Mia.
What a serene and beautiful scene. Many thanks.
Beautiful photos and find. I was surprised I did not see more raptors along the Pony Express Trail. Usually there are many. We saw a few Redtails and one Golden Eagle. I watched a beautiful male Harrier doing mating display fights in the campground. And yes the smell of sage on the cold morning air was grand! I froze my sister-in-law by keeping the window open while driving to smell the aroma of the west desert.
Great work, Mia.
Beautiful!