One Very Cooperative Male Rough-legged Hawk

Blue sky and a frosty Rough-legged Hawk portrait – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 800, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

For the second year in a row the first bird I photographed in the New Year was a Rough-legged Hawk and both were photographed at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

I want to be clear that the Rough-legged Hawk in the photos I am sharing today weren’t the first Rough-legged I photographed yesterday. Honesty is important to me. The first Roughie I photographed yesterday was in crappy low light since the sun hadn’t yet risen over the mountains. I took five horrible images of that hawk and those are already slated to be dumped unceremoniously into my delete bin. But it was the first bird I photographed in 2022.

I think the bird photography gods smiled down on me yesterday morning and gave me the gift of a very cooperative male Rough-legged Hawk because of the earlier one in poor light. The adult male Rough-legged Hawk was in an area where I have photographed this species year after year. The Roughie was also very close to the road and for a bit my only option was to take portrait of him. He was probably very sticky because the temps were frigid. I saw a low of 3°F yesterday morning and it wasn’t much warmer than that when I spotted this hawk.

Male Rough-legged Hawk perched on a Tamarisk – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 800, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

When the male Rough-legged Hawk took off he flew to the west and landed in a Tamarisk which some people call Saltcedar. Tamarisks are introduced shrubs that are found in the American West.

I’ve photographed Rough-legged Hawks several times this year in this Tamarisk, those hawks may even have been this same bird.

The Rough-legged Hawk didn’t stay perched in this shrub for long. When he lifted off he flew west again and as I watched him fly I could see that he was heading towards another hawk perched on a plastic marker on the south side of the road.

Adult male Rough-legged Hawk in the marsh of Bear River MBR – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

The male Roughie bumped the other hawk off of this perch and landed on it. On the 5th of December of 2021 I photographed an immature Rough-legged Hawk on this same exact perch.

Frosty Rough-legged Hawk male portrait – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

The male Rough-legged Hawk was sticky, cooperative, and in soft morning light and I was close enough to take portraits of him that showed the fine details in his plumage.

I’d never turn down the opportunity to take portraits of birds as long as they are comfortable with my presence and this male Roughie was.

January Rough-legged Hawk close up – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

The hawk simply looked around his marshy environment as I took photo after photo of him and observed him through my viewfinder.

Frosty January Rough-legged Hawk close up – Nikon D500, f9, 1/400, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

I noticed the frost on his head, chest, throat, and back. I shivered a bit as I photographed him because I was chilly myself and thought about how he had gone through the bitter cold during the night.

Frosted adult male Rough-legged Hawk portrait – Nikon D500, f9, 1/400, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

I also noticed his eyes and was delighted that I could make out both his pupils and his irises. From a distance the eyes of this species look fairly dark yet when I am able to take close up photos like these I can see that their irises are a dark, cognac color. The bright morning sunlight might help with being able to see that color too.

Rough-legged Hawk male with frost on his back – Nikon D500, f9, 1/400, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

I had a hard time picking out a favorite portrait of this Rough-legged Hawk as I reviewed the photos of him that I took so I decided I’d post a few that I liked a lot and found appealing. Even though the left side of his face is shadowed in this image I enjoyed the head on look I got from him and the view of the frost on his back.

Male Rough-legged Hawk close up as he gets ready to lift off – Nikon D500, f9, 1/400, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

And in this photo I like how he had raised his wings after relieving himself on the marsh. I knew that he was getting ready to lift off again but I continued to focus on him even though I know there was no way I would be able to photograph him lifting off without clipping his wings, tail, and body parts.

Portrait of a male Rough-legged Hawk stretching – Nikon D500, f9, 1/400, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

The male Rough-legged Hawk surprised me when instead of lifting off immediately he stretched his wings over his back for a prolonged period of time. When he finally lifted off and it was okay to move up the road I felt privileged to have been able to take these intimate portraits of this stunning, confiding Rough-legged Hawk.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to view more of my Rough-legged Hawk photos plus facts and information about this species.