Rough-legged Hawk Stretching At Sunrise

I guess I’m becoming a little more tolerant of unnatural perches.

A quick, short post this morning. After a restless night I slept in.

 

1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in

Five days ago I found this adult Rough-legged Hawk on one of the signs directed at hunters at Bear River MBR. It was very soon after sunrise so it was cold and I had a lot of trouble getting sharp shots of the bird, presumably because of atmospheric heat waves. But this photo is acceptably sharp.

Here the hawk is stretching in the early morning sun to get its juices flowing, which seems akin to the coffee I’m drinking as I type this. I like the pose, the light and the background. And the hawk of course.

I’m less fond of the perch but at least it has character. Of sorts.

Ron

 

27 Comments

  1. Good to see some winged life out there! I love the colors.

  2. Uh-oh, write him a ticket — this handsome fellow’s ON the sign, not between the signs. I love images like these where the animal is essentially giving the middle finger (or, in this case, the middle feather) to human rules. 😂

  3. Love that background and subject in the warm light!

    Wish I could stretch my wings like that. Coffee will have to do.

  4. The hawk is brown and white, the sign is brown and white—so an obvious spot for Roughie to conduct morning exercises. We’re all just happy you found this one and the others you’ve posted on various perches the last few days — makes our morning coffee so much better having FP to enjoy it with! 😉

  5. I am very, very glad that the birds are not (usually) as fussy as you are. And this one improves the aesthetics of the road sign immeasurably.
    I hope you sleep better tonight – or can nap.

  6. Stretching is like a yawn… when I see someone doing it I must too❗️If a perch is good enough for them, I’m good.
    Sleep well tonight 💤

  7. I am enjoying these opportunities to get good looks at Rough-legged hawks. Thank you!

  8. Morning gold. Very nice.
    Flaunting the rules: if I can’t park between the signs i’ll just park myself on one and have a good stretch.
    One wonders where the photographer was parked while taking the photo😀

  9. Ron you know I love your hawk photos, and thank you for posting this one. The pose is interesting and the sign isn’t that bad!

  10. Everett F Sanborn

    Definitely need some morning stretches, but coffee first. He says in spite of the sign’s instructions, I am parking right here. Nice shot Ron. It is challenging now photographing in the very cold early mornings.

  11. Mary Mayshark-Stavely

    Nice, photo is encouraging me to get up and do some morning stretches. I don’t often comment but always appreciate your posts. À bientôt, Mary

  12. That sign is thick, too, perfect fit for big talons!

  13. Nice! It DOES look like a ruffled up morning stretch……. 😉 They really don’t care what a perch looks like as long as it “works” at the moment – not near as fussy as photographers are. Glad you were able to concentrate on the bird and ignore the perch – at least partially. 🙂

    We’ve had a couple in the area of late along with a couple of mature and one immature Bald Eagle hanging together on an old snag. Seasonal changes for sure. 🙂

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