The Rough-legged hawks that have spent the winter in Madison County and the surrounding areas are now being replaced by the Swainson's Hawk. The Rough-legged are making their migration above the Artic Circle to raise their young.
They have spent the winter harvesting rodents in fields and area marshes. They are a God-send to area farmers as they will kill and eat four to five rodents a day. They can locate their prey under the snow.
I have seen over 20 of these beautiful birds sitting on an irrigation wheel-line waiting for dinner to be delivered or stumbled upon.
Only a few are left as they are replaced by the Red-tailed and Swainson's for the summer.
21 comments:
Beautiful captures of these gorgeous birds!!!
Bill, these are awesome photos. I would love to paint a watercolor of the second one. May I have your permission to do so?
Gorgeous photos of this beautiful bird!
A great series of images.
A beautiful bird.
Awesome shots of the Rough Legged. I was able to see this hawk working a field last month, it was exciting.
Hi Bill,This is a grand creature! The second pic is my favorite.
great shots -- what a lovely raptor!
Gorgeous captures. It's hard to imagine seeing twenty RL Hawks at once. These are classic poses for sure!
Wow Bill - wonderful shots!
I really like the second shot. It's as if this beauty was posing for you. Really nice work!
Thanks for your visit. :)
That is one beautiful bird! Amazing patterns.
Thanks for dropping by to visit my Sharp-shinned Hawk... I was so pleased to see your comment! Your images of the Rough-legged Hawk are very nice... especially the one with the wings fully spread as he is preparing to take off (or just landed?). :-)
Amazing birds aren't they? I had several this winter in KY, both light and dark phase. Easily my favorite hawk now.
I coudl use one of those beauties right now. I´ve got rats coming to my balcony. :(
Fantastic shots -- you get the most beautiful angles, just incredible. We've always noticed how hawks seem to have their territory marked out on those wires -- they seem to sit almost a measured distance from each other.
I didn't have a bird post this week, so am appreciating the chance to do virtual birding. Thanks.
Amazing captures of a beautiful creature.
brilliant captures all!!
Wow great shots! We have a couple of hawks that hang out in our neighborhood.
Hi Bill, That is interesting... I've never heard of these hawks...SO--where do they go in summer--farther north????? They are gorgeous --especially in flight.
Glad they help the farmers... Wish we had some hawks here to rid us of our pesky squirrels and chipmunks... ha ha
Have a great weekend.
Betsy
Beautiful patterns on those wings. The bottom shot is truly fantastic!
Gorgeous photos. The third one is spectacular.
Love your captures of the hawks.I can really see the difference in them the way you photographed them.phyllis
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