Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Rough-legged Hawk

 Rough-legged Hawk  (Buteo lagopus)

My husband and I had heard there were Rough-legged Hawks in the area but we hadn't seen any...until we headed home from a photo shoot a little north of where we live. Truth be told, I passed this hawk and then turned around! From a distance I thought it was a red-tailed hawk.  But as I passed it I knew I had been WRONG.

Head turned 180°

He/she let me take a few photos and them flew off to a tree where it's mate was sitting. So there were actually TWO of them, but they were way too far off to take another photo. They are visiting from The Arctic.

Can you believe this bird can turn it's head around 180°?

I am connecting to Stewart M's Wild Bird Wednesday HERE

60 comments:

Stewart M said...

Thats a great couple of shots - I love the love the whole colour tone of the pictures.

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

great sighting and image.

Revrunner said...

The better to see you with my dear. :-)

Andy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Andy said...

I got a red tail hawk hanging around my bird feeder. I guess if you are hungry you gotta eat.
PS: Is time to put a super zoom lens on your shopping list?
( ♥_♥ )

BasiaW said...

Nice photos:-)

Anvilcloud said...

Oooh ... very nicely shot. I also like the church steeple, below.

eileeninmd said...

It is a beautiful looking hawk! That head turn thing is creepy.. Great photos. Happy Tuesday!

Michelle said...

Nice!

Pamela Gordon said...

Really great photos!

Bethany Carson said...

That's something I can't do! Nice shots!

Darla said...

Great photos, so much detail. I'll bet you were excited to spot this bird.

Darla

PerthDailyPhoto said...

It almost looks like his head is on backwards Tina :) Fantastic shots, nice work!

William Kendall said...

Quite a handsome bird!

Donna said...

I adore hawks and this is one reason why...the way they can move...

The Cranky said...

The colours are fantastic, and you've caught him so beautifully!

MadSnapper said...

i think this might be the prettiest of hawks that I have seen. he is a beauty and i see why they named him rough legs.. the colors in the background make a perfect shot of him. that is some trick with the head turning

21 Wits said...

How priceless! I would surely have one of these photos hanging on a wall in my house. Possibly even the one where he's looking back, as if greeting, somewhere that folks would always catch it!

Rose said...

Wouldn't you love to be able to turn your head with that ease??? I have trouble with turning 90 degrees part of the time!

Excellent captures....I do not know the type of hawk I am seeing other than the Northern Harriers. Or maybe a kestrel.

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Beautiful shots. I can rarely turn around and go back for a shot of a hawk and still have it there.

The Furry Gnome said...

Spectacular pictures Tina!

Mary Hone said...

He's is gorgeous. Nothing wrong with turning around, we do it a lot.

TexWisGirl said...

beautiful shots!

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

What a great find. Wonderful pictures.

Linda W. said...

Nice photos of the hawk! How cool to see one.

Halcyon said...

Majestic!

Cloudia said...

you really show the awe




ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
<3

Sylvia K said...

I love your shots for the day -- as always, Tina!! You always capture such incredible detail!! The hawk is beautiful -- wish I could turn my head around that far!!

Indrani said...

Wow! Excellent focus!

Hilary said...

Very cool.. and well captured in perfect light. Where there's two, there might just be a family about to happen.

Stephanie said...

Wow, amazing shots, Tina!

RedPat said...

I have to get my bird book out to see the difference, EG! Great shots.
Glad you found the article about the murals.

VP said...

Excellent portraits: the second one is almost scary!

Breathtaking said...

An exciting find, and lovely images.

Buttons Thoughts said...

I would be visiting from the Arctic too a friend of mine says it is -63c where she lives. Yikes. Great shots. Hug B

Malyss said...

Very beautiful pictures !I like those birds, they seem to be so proud .

Mari said...

Wow 180 degrees headturn. Impressive. You got them a really nice shot.

jp@A Green Ridge said...

Super pictures!!!!...:)JP

mick said...

Great photos of the hawk - how lucky that you turned around for a second look!

Rohrerbot said...

Congrats on the picture! This is one I have yet to find in the wild. Pretty awesome hawks. Because hawks are awesome:)

Ginny Hartzler said...

Wonderful, wonderful portraits!!! I Cannot believe the head!! I thought only owls could do that, why did we not know?

Lovable Derek said...

You've captured some excellent photos here. Great!

Some of my neighbours can do that 180 degree thing - there's no keeping any secrets from them....

Have a nice day.

Carver said...

Great shots of the hawk.

Lois said...

Fabulous shots of a gorgeous bird!

Jenny said...

Very handsome bird. Looks well-equipped for the cold weather with lots of feathers. So glad you spotted him(her).

Jack said...

For serious birders, this must have been a big moment.

Randy said...

I wish I could turn my head that way. That might get rid of the pain in my neck. Nice close ups.

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

Great shots! I love how he's looking over his back at you.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...


Great eye, and incredible twist of the neck.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Great shots. This is a beautiful hawk.

BumbleVee said...

It's looking directly at you..... wow... what a shot....

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

Two really excellent shots. As someone who woke up with a stiff neck this morning I'm very jealous of that hawk's ability to swivel his head!

Kathy said...

It's a beautiful bird. We have hawks here but they're such stealthy creatures I rarely see them.

Unknown said...

Awesome captures of this gorgeous bird.

A Colorful World said...

Checking you out! :-) The range of motion reminds me of an owl. Great shots! Too bad it flew too far. perhaps the couple is finding a nesting spot...that would be great for you! I had an encounter with a Harris Hawk on my way home the other day as well, but it didn't fly off. I'm hoping there's more than one about since these tend to stay in family groups!

Lowell said...

You are so good at these pictures! I'm amazed, really! I saw a hawk on a golf course last week but by the time I turned the cart around and got my camera out it was gone! :(


Unknown said...

neat photos :)

Susan Anderson said...

I love to watch a hawk fly. And no, I had no idea they could turn their heads so far. That's crazy.

=)

NatureFootstep said...

sometimes I wish I could turn my head like that :)

kayerj said...

we have a lot of these hawks in our area. they perch on the telephone poles along the highway.

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East Gwillimbury is a rural town less than an hour north of Toronto, Canada's largest city. My family calls me CameraGirl because I take my camera with me wherever I go.