Earlier this month I showed a few Rough-legged Hawk photos.  Today I was working outdoors when I looked up to see the Rough-legged Hawk soaring by directly overhead.  Luckily my camera was nearby.  This is a nice view of the underwing pattern with large dark carpal ("wrist") patches. Photo copyright and credit Jackie Sones... Follow her here:

The Natural History of Bodega Head

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Soaring by

Rough-legged Hawk

Rough-legged Hawk (20140105-0159), originally uploaded by Earl Reinink.

by Earl Reinink

Rough-legged Hawk. Final approach ... .. .

Rough-legged Hawk (20140104-0155), originally uploaded by Earl Reinink.

by Earl Reinink

Rough-legged Hawk (20140104-0155) Earl Reinink

Rough-legged Hawk (20140104-0155), originally uploaded by Earl Reinink.

Rough-legged Hawk... by Earl Reinink
a hawk, a man and a camera....

Rough-legged Hawk in Sonoma County 2013 Jenner Headlands Hawk Watch Group.

Photo is by Tom Reynolds. The top is his original photo, below the photo has been "auto-corrected" to show the light and dark patterns of the birds under-wings and body. Both photos: Tom Reynolds copyright 2013

Rough-legged Hawk Lynch Canyon 2013 Raptor hike

_MG_6667, originally uploaded by djbartling.

Don Bartling RLHA photo. Perfect.

Lower Klamath Basin Wildlife Refuge. Rough-legged Hawks 2013

 

We had a few real good looks at Rough-legged Hawks at the Lower Klamath Basin Wildlife Refuge this week. We saw a half dozen dark morphs.  It was a great trip. Thanks Dave and Josh for coming along.



Broderick_House photo copyright 2013

So anyways really don't shoot to much anymore, but friends always have cameras laying around and its always for to "pop off a couple snaps" as Zach would say. me and Jesse were passing the camera to each other on this day....

Broderick_House photo copyright 2013

Good clean Patagials, strong marked up carpal blocks, dark wing tips, light colored head, eye stripe, dusky sub-terminal, brown body, buff-streaked chest, there is a lot going on here, totally different from any RTHA wing configuration....

What a year for the Rough-legged Hawks. They always show up every winter in the Lower Klamath Basin. We also had a real good year down here in the North Bay Area.
 
Lots of sightings and over-wintering Rough-legged in Sonoma, Marin and Solano. At least that is from our records at WCHW.  Also the list serves have listed the Roughies through-out their traditional over-wintering range in good numbers

Broderick_House photo copyright 2013

Here's the Rough-legged's we were able to capture, damn auto focus kept focusing on the clouds when the epic shot was right in front of you!