Rough-Legged Hawk on Railway Crossing Signs

We saw several hawks on Saturday when we drove home from Moose Jaw to Regina along Highway 39. Only one — this Rough-Legged Hawk — was cooperative enough to sit on railway crossing signs and wait for the photo sessions to begin.

Rough-Legged Hawks breed in the Arctic and winter from southern Canada south, through grasslands and open cultivated areas. All About Birds highlights their dark wrists and broad dark bellies as identification marks.

The Cornell-sponsored ABB site also says that the Rough-Legged Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk and Golden Eagle are the only hawks in North America to be feathered all the way down their legs to their talons. (Extra warmth for their cold climates.) If you look closely, you can see the leg feathers in several of these images, all taken of the same (cooperative) hawk.

For more clues, I looked at How to Identify a Rough-Legged Hawk, from Hawk Ridge in Duluth, MN.

After we passed this Rough-Legged Hawk perched on a whistle crossing sign, we turned around, went back, stopped near it. and took several pictures before the hawk slowly lifted and flew away — to the classic red and white X of the next railway crossing sign.

It was a dull day and this Rough-Legged Hawk was backlit, so all of these images have been processed to bring out detail and colour.

Rough-Legged Hawk on whistle-crossing sign. © SB

The hawk appeals to the human need
(greed?) for eye contact. © SB

Top markings, in flight. © SB

Under markings, with dark wrists and belly. © SB

Rough-Legged Hawk in flight. © SB

Rough-Legged Hawk
on prairie crossing sign. © SB

Close-up of Rough-Legged Hawk
Here's looking at you... © SB

What is this? A Rough-Legged Hawk.    
Location: Along Highway 39, from Moose Jaw to south of Regina, Saskatchewan.  
Photo dates: March 17, 2012. 

~~~~~

Rough-legged Hawks: Winter in the Qu'Appelle Valley

A Rough-legged Hawk perched on a fencepost beside Rte. 99 through the Qu'Appelle Valley,

ignoring the cars, its head into wind alert for prey.

At this time of year, so much is gold. Fields, feathers, lichen — and raptors' eyes and feet.

Even nearby, the Rough-legged Hawk blended into its surroundings, gold and brown bird on gold and brown fence posts, against gold and brown fields.

And then this feathery-legged Hawk lifted gracefully into the wind and flew over to another post.

Closer to voles and gophers, perhaps? Closer, as well, to me.

These large hawks spend their summers in the Arctic, and their winters in fields and prairies of the U.S. and Southern Canada. The Rough-legged Hawk is known for its well feathered legs — a feature shared to this same degree by only a few other raptors. All About Birds provides good tips for identification, including dark tail tips and dark patches at the bend of the wing.

Rough-legged Hawk on fencepost, camouflage in plain sight © SB  

In for a landing, Rough-legged Hawk.  © Shelley Banks

What is this? A Rough-legged Hawk.
Location: Near Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.   

Photo date: November 30, 2015   

~~~~~