I’ve only had two reasonably good chances at the dark morph of the Rough-legged Hawk and one of them was a highly unexpected encounter two weeks ago.
1/1000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I was driving home from a morning of photography at Farmington Bay and as usual at this point in the trip my camera was turned off, my lens hood cover was on, my camera and lens were safely secured in my handy-dandy “lens caddy” next to me on the console, my window-mount “Noodle” wasn’t in place and I had switched from “shooting mode” to “driving mode”. I was on a busy 4 lane highway and only a quarter-mile from the entrance to Interstate 15 when I turned a corner and spotted a beautiful dark raptor soaring toward me and it was already quite close. My photo instincts took over – luckily there was a safe (legal?) place to pull over and while I was doing so I got my gear in working order again and was able to fire off about a half-dozen shots (hand-held) as the bird passed overhead.
In yesterday’s post I did some serious complaining about bad luck and poor choices in my bird photography so this morning I’ll pay homage to the occasional fortuitous sets of circumstances that also present themselves once in a blue moon. On this occasion they included a relatively rare bird that was close to me in good light, a place to park my pickup for a few seconds so I could take advantage of the situation and the fact that I spotted the bird while driving in the first place.
1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
This is the only other dark Roughie I’ve ever been able to get reasonably good images of – a bird that hung around Antelope Island for a few days last November.
I think the dark morph of the species is spectacular. I’m always on the lookout for them during winter and it’s loads of fun to finally encounter one of these striking and relatively unusual hawks.
Ron
MONEY!
What a thrill. Beautiful shot!
Ron
Thanks for spectacular bird. But take care driving and birding. I almost hit something just looking at a plain Redtail in flight…
Gorgeous.
I still mourn not even having a camera with me when we passed a Wedge-tailed Eagle perched on a road-kill kangaroo beside the road (about 150 metres from home). An incredible sight – and a reminder of just how BIG they are. One of those images which is firmly locked in my head, despite the fact I cannot share it.
Great stuff even for someone who is neither a birder nor a photographer nor particularly an outdoor person. I do, however, think I can appreciate beauty, and this is a wonderful example. I appreciate your sharing, especially of something I would not otherwise see.
Ha, “Driving While Birding”! Great shots.
WOW! What a wonderful shot of an unusual bird. Thank you so much for sharing.
Len
Gorgeous! I’ve never had the privilege of seeing a Rough-legged Hawk of any morph in person. The only time I’ve seen a really spectacular raptor up close was when I saw a Bald Eagle circling near a freeway bridge when I was driving to an appointment I was late for. Had I not been late I would have taken a different route and would never have seen the eagle, which was so low I could see the color of its eyes (this was in Richmond, VA). I did not have my camera with me, or the time to take a photo, but I am grateful that the image is one that is forever etched into my brain.
What luck! I’ve never seen this phase before…Magnificent. Catching it proves then old Boy Scout motto, “Be prepared”…because you never know. Yesterday, after a week of feeling lousy, we went to our local CVS pharmacy. I ALMOST always carry my “ball and chain” (camera), but what could be interesting on a short trip to CVS? I left my husband in the store to check out and went out to sit down in the car. I noticed a large hawk sitting on the very top of the tall spire on the church across the street. It sat there, scanning the ground below for at least 10 or 15 minutes…a perfect shot…IF I’d had my camera! Another missed opportunitythat will haunt me….
Gorgeous!!!!!!!!!
Wow! You must be fast! You managed to get a sensational shot! Thanks for sharing!
Charlotte
Wow!!!! Nice work Ron. Once again I have never seen this species before. Beautiful!
Thanks very much, Ellen.
Beautiful. I love seeing the one on the ground, too. I have not personally seen a bird in flight at close range, so much as I love the detail and learning the plumage, the occasional ground shot rekindles the excitement I’ve felt at stumbling across a large bird perched nearby.
Alison, I share that “excitement” you mention at such an encounter. Thank you.
Magnificent!! Wonderful shots Ron!
Beautiful hawk, never seen a dark phase!
Luck or being in the right place at the right time does come on occasion!!
Yes, Dick – I’ve got to remember that luck does come in both forms – good and bad…
Nice shot Ron. What a beautiful bird. I cam just picture the commotion trying to put all your camera equipment back together and get this shot. Do you ever see Harlan’s Hawks in your area?
Thanks, Ed. You’re certainly right about the “commotion” and yes, we do see the occasional Harlan’s. I know where one’s been hanging out for the last few weeks but it’s been a very uncooperative bird and I’ve yet to get close to it.
Here’s a couple of links to Harlan’s I’ve photographed.
https://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2013/01/26/harlens-hawk-on-a-coot-kill-graphic/
https://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2013/01/20/harlans-hawk/