Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Wild Bird Wednesday


Wild Bird Wednesday (08)
This was one of those days when you wished you could afford a huge expensive lens so you could capture the beauty of this raptor.  The Rough Legged Hawk is one of only two, that I know of, that can hover over a field in search of pray.  I knew as soon as I saw this hawk hovering what I was looking at.  They are rare around here and usually don't pass through our area this early in the year ... but there he/she was and I was thrilled.


This is how far away he actually was, but I could see him clearly ... my camera did the best it could.  :(
Here you can get a good look at the coloring.  He is a light morph and the signature banding at the wrist is clear
Here you can see the white at the base of the tail and the dark banding on the tip.

 



I tampered (PSE) with this shot to try to bring out the rich color of his feathers ... the bright sunlight seemed to wash out some of his beauty.  In my lifetime, I have only once caught a glimpse of the Rough Legged Hawk in the open, so this was a big thrill for me.  Hope you can share in my excitement.

20 comments:

Brian King said...

Awesome sighting! Congrats! Even better that you got photos! I don't think I've ever seen a Rough-legged Hawk.

i stora drag said...

Great photos of this raptor! I think it's the same I have taken lots of photos of here in my country Sweden.
Greetings Pia

TexWisGirl said...

neat slide show, andrea!

Edna B said...

This is just fabulous! I don't get too many chances to photograph hawks. I'm usually in the wrong place or time when I do get to see one. I do agree that they are really beautiful to watch. Have a great day, Hugs, Edna B.

Anni said...

none the less...he's gorgeous!!!

Wild Bird Wednesday - Backyard Birds

Unknown said...

Nice captures!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

Adam Jones said...

Nice Hawk shots.

Adam Jones said...

Nice Hawk shots.

eileeninmd said...

Great sighting of the hawk and neat photos. Thanks for sharing on WBW!

eileeninmd said...

Great sighting of the hawk and neat photos. Thanks for sharing on WBW!

Anonymous said...

I am glad I was blessed to see this too. Thanks.

mick said...

Great photos of the Hawk showing all the marks for ID.

Elephant's Child said...

How simply lovely. Have you been here http://featheredphotography.com

This man takes the most amazing bird photos and seems to share some of your passions.

Stewart M said...

Thats a nice set of pictures - I dont seem to get as many shots of birds of prey as other people - but I managed some last week - so they will be up soon!

"My" heron is in the same genus as your Great Blue - but mine goes by the name of Ardea sumatrana and yours is Ardea herodias (I just thought you need to know this!!)

thanks for the visit to WBW - Stewart M

Danielle said...

Very cool!! it is always wonderful to be able to 'capture' birds no matter the quality of the shot because the shot itself brings back the memory and feelings of that moment. How wonderful.

Pat said...

Wonderful sighting! You got some nice shots too.

Sylvia K said...

Beautiful captures of a beautiful bird, Andrea!! Such a great sighting indeed!! Hope your week is going well!

Neil said...

Nice photos glad you were able to get so many photos.

Dianna said...

Amazing photos!

Electra said...

YOur camera (and the camera operator) did just fine, I would say!!

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