Buteo lagopus – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Rough-legged Hawk and thoughts about the upcoming winter

By Mia McPherson|August 30th, 2015|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: adult, Buteo lagopus, El Niño, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, lift off, light morph, male, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, sign, speed limit, winter|

I came across this image of a male Rough-legged Hawk taken this past February and it caused me to wonder what this upcoming winter will be like.

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Rough-legged Hawk on a gray day

By Mia McPherson|December 13th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, flight, flying, gray day, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, light morph, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, sky, winter, young|

The day in 2011 when I photographed this Rough-legged Hawk was gray but it didn't really bother me to capture this handsome bird in low light.

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Winter Wanderers – Rough-legged Hawks

By Mia McPherson|November 22nd, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: autumn, birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, desert island, fall, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, light moroh, preening, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk|

I have started seeing Rough-legged Hawks again in northern Utah and that has me excited. I have seen them in Utah County and Davis County but I haven't gotten any quality photos of them yet

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Snow Birds – Rough-legged Hawks

By Mia McPherson|January 17th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, branches, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, flight, flying, frost, hawk, hawks, hoar frost, leaves, light morph, perched, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, Salt Lake Valley, sky, tree, winter|

But for me the "Snow Birds" I have grown to love here in Utah are Rough-legged Hawks who only visit in the winter and spend the rest of their lives breeding in high subarctic and Arctic regions.

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Seeing the tail end…

By Mia McPherson|December 31st, 2013|Categories: American Barn Owls, Antelope Island State Park, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Red-tailed Hawks, Ring-necked Pheasants, Rough-legged Hawks, Tooele County, Turkey Vultures, Utah, Western Grebes|Tags: Aechmophorus occidentalis, American Barn Owl, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteo lagopus, Cathartes aura, flight, flying, Phasianus colchicus, Red-tailed Hawk, Ring-necked Pheasant, Rough-legged Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Tyto furcata, Western Grebe|

Seeing the tail end... of 2013 on this last day of December.

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Rough-legged Hawk lifting off

By Mia McPherson|December 27th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, feathered legs, feathered tarsi, hawk, hawks, lift off, light morph, marsh, nest box, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, sky, wetlands, winter|

Rough-legged Hawks are among my favorites of the raptors that over winter in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah because I only see them at this time of the year while they wait to head back to the subarctic and Arctic to breed.

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Dorsal view of a Rough-legged Hawk in flight

By Mia McPherson|November 5th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, dorsal view, flight, flying, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, marsh, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, wetlands, winter|

I woke up to a fine layer of snow on the ground this morning and silly as it may sound that gets me excited for the birds that over winter in the Salt Lake Valley such as this Rough-legged Hawk.

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Rough-legged Hawk on a foggy winter day

By Mia McPherson|October 30th, 2013|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, flight, flying, foggy, hawks, immature, light morph, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, winter, young|

This past Sunday I saw my first of the season Rough-legged Hawks and I was absolutely thrilled. There were definitely five different birds and a possible sixth.

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Wishful Thinking

By Mia McPherson|October 25th, 2013|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: autumn, birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, fall, flight, flying, Great Salt Lake, hawks, immature, light morph, prey, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, vole, water, young|

Two years ago I photographed this Rough-legged Hawk with a vole in its talons as it flew along the causeway to Antelope Island State Park with the Great Salt Lake in the background.

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It snowed in the Salt Lake Valley yesterday…

By Mia McPherson|October 5th, 2013|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Coyotes, Davis County, Ring-necked Pheasants, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: Buteo lagopus, Canis latrans, Coyote, coyotes, hawks, Phasianus colchicus, photography, Ring-necked Pheasant, Rough-legged Hawk, Salt Lake Valley, snow, upland terrestrial birds, winter|

And it won't be long before I am photographing wildlife in drifts of snow and birds on perches covered in white.

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Playing Favorites – Rough-legged Hawk

By Mia McPherson|September 29th, 2013|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, desert island, hawk, hawks, immature, light morph, perched, raptors, rock, Rough-legged Hawk, Roughies|

Rough-legged Hawks are on their way south from their Arctic breeding grounds and will soon be making their appearance here in Utah.

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And We Have Lift Off!

By Mia McPherson|June 30th, 2013|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Horned Larks, Montana, Pinellas County, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Red-shouldered Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, Swainson's Hawks, Utah, Western Meadowlarks, Willets|Tags: birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteo lineatus, Buteo swainsoni, Eremophila alpestris, hawk, hawks, Horned Lark, large game, lark, larks, lift off, meadowlarks, push, Red-shouldered Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, shorebirds, squat, Sturnella neglecta, Swainson's Hawk, thrust, Tringa semipalmata, Western Meadowlark, Willet|

I wanted to share some bird lift off images today so I rounded up a few that showed different styles of lift offs.

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Rough-legged Hawks

By Mia McPherson|February 17th, 2013|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, flight, hawks, lift off, light morph, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, winter|

This year hasn't provided me with as many opportunities to photograph Rough-legged Hawks as last winter did and before long these raptors will be heading to the high Arctic to find mates on their breeding grounds.

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Immature Red-tailed, Rough-legged, Ferruginous and Swainson’s Hawks

By Mia McPherson|January 27th, 2013|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Davis County, Ferruginous Hawks, Montana, Red-tailed Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, Swainson's Hawks, Utah|Tags: bird ID, birds of prey, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteo lagopus, Buteo regalis, Buteo swainsoni, Buteos, Ferruginous Hawk, hawks, immature, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Swainson's Hawk|

Today I thought I would post images of the juvenile Buteos that I see most often in Utah and Montana, they are Red-tailed, Rough-legged, Ferruginous and Swainson's Hawks.

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Some fun with birds from yesterday

By Mia McPherson|January 19th, 2013|Categories: American Barn Owls, Antelope Island State Park, Black-crowned Night Herons, Chukars, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: adult, Alectoris chukar, American Barn Owl, Ardea herodias, birds of prey, Black-crowned Night Heron, Buteo lagopus, Chukar, Great Blue Heron, hawks, heron, herons, juvenile, night heron, night herons, Nycticorax nycticorax, owl, owls, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, Tyto furcata, upland terrestrial birds|

A wonderful fun-filled day with great companionship and plenty of birds. I can't ask for more.

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Appearing Soon – Rough-legged Hawks

By Mia McPherson|October 13th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, perched, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, Salt Lake Valley, winter|

Last winter was awesome for seeing Rough-legged Hawks and I am hoping they had another great breeding season and that they will show up here in large numbers to over winter.

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Rough-legged Hawk ~ Friday Photos

By Mia McPherson|June 29th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, branches, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, light morph, perched, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, sky, tree, winter, young|

Rough-legged Hawks breed in the Arctic so we don't see them around here in northern Utah during the summer.

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Rough-legged Hawks – Is it time to say goodbye?

By Mia McPherson|February 26th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, flight, flying, hawks, lift off, light morph, nature, preening, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk|

I have had such amazing experiences with Rough-legged Hawks this winter. I've captured them in flight, preening, eating, hovering, kiting, resting and so much more.

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Rough-legged Hawk Kiting, Being Bit and Eating on the Fly

By Mia McPherson|January 19th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, eating, eating in flight, flight, flying, goofy, Great Salt Lake, hawks, Hawks of Utah, hovering, immature, kiting, prey, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, vole, young|

Some days are wonderful for bird photography especially when the subject is close, exhibits interesting behavior and the light is in my favor. These images are from an afternoon just like that when I happened across a lovely Rough-legged Hawk on a breezy day.

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High Key Fun

By Mia McPherson|December 14th, 2011|Categories: Bald Eagles, Birds, Davis County, Mallards, Rough-legged Hawks, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Anas platyrhynchos, Bald Eagle, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, ducks, female, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, hawk, hen, high key, immature, low light, Mallard, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk|

It seems that people either love high key images or they hate them. Personally; I believe that when a high key image is done well that they can be very appealing and have a place for them in my portfolio.

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Friday Photos – Yes, another Rough-legged Hawk

By Mia McPherson|December 9th, 2011|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, desert island, flight, flying, hawks, immature, lift off, light morph, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, young|

I can relate to the hawk in a way, just like it doesn't always get the prey it is intent on, I don't always get the shots I want.

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Rough-legged Hawk Preening

By Mia McPherson|November 30th, 2011|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: Antelope Island State Park, birds of prey, buteo, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, comical, feet, funny, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, light morph, perched, post, preening, raptors, regal, Rough-legged Hawk, side view, wooden post|

Last week though I had the opportunity to photograph a very cooperative Rough-legged Hawk preening.

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More Rough-legged Hawks

By Mia McPherson|November 20th, 2011|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Rough-legged Hawks, Tooele County, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, flight, hawks, immature, lift off, light morph, natural habitat, perched, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, Stansbury Mountains, young|

I have been very pleased to add so many images of Rough-legged Hawks to my portfolio in just the past week and hopefully these Roughies will stick around until late February of next year so there will be many more opportunities.

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Rough-legged Hawks

By Mia McPherson|November 13th, 2011|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: autumn, bird ID, birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, desert island, fall, hare-footed, hawks, immature, light morph, perched, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, young|

Eureka! The Rough-legged Hawks are back from their high subarctic and Arctic breeding grounds and they seem to be showing up in larger numbers than I have seen them since I moved to Utah.

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