Watching and waiting

  

A young Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) in Bodega Bay on 21 October 2024.  [You can click on the image for a larger version.]

Hope is the thing

  

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) in Cotati, 6 April 2021

In sun and fog

  

We had to do some field work in Mendocino County today (8 February 2021).  On the walk down to the study site, we passed this beautiful Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis).  In the first view (above) there was a hint of sunlight.  A little later we noticed it sitting on a fence with fog and trees in the background:

 

 

Facing west

 

Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) near Jenner on 24 November 2019.

Feathers in the wind

 

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) in the wind, Bodega Bay, 16 September 2018

Riding a thermal

 

Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) riding a thermal over Pelican Plaza in Bodega Bay today, 1 February 2018.  The air temperature reached 65°F (18°C) on Bodega Head this afternoon.

 

Regal

 

A beautiful Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) soaring over the grassland opposite Lucas Wharf in Bodega Bay today (16 December 2017).

 

Focus

 

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) focused on possible prey below.  Bodega Head, 7 November 2017.

 

Hovering over Bodega Head

 

Just a few quick pictures of the Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) that's been seen on Bodega Head for the past two weeks.  I caught up with it briefly today along the Overlook Trail (near the top of Owl Canyon and the Horseshoe Cove Overlook).

Rough-legged Hawks nest in arctic and subarctic Alaska and Canada, then winter in southern Canada and the northern U.S.  They're relatively rare winter visitors to Sonoma County.  The status of Rough-legged Hawks in this area is described as "irregular", i.e., the number of individuals that show up in any given year varies a lot — from none, to a few, to many.  [This is the first one I've seen on Bodega Head.]

This individual is a "light morph" — note the very pale coloration on the head and chest (and the contrasting dark band across the belly).

 

Rough-legged Hawks are known for having a large amount of white at the base of the tail:

 

And this individual also had a striking amount of white at the base of the primaries (outermost flight feathers), creating large pale patches when viewed from above.  Here are two more examples of the wing and tail patterns:

 

 

Rough-legged Hawks often hover while hunting for small mammals (e.g., mice or voles).  I was struck by a view of this Rough-legged Hawk hovering over Bodega Head, with the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop:

 

This has been a banner year for small mammals on Bodega Head.  It's been a great time for viewing raptors!

 

Beauty-o

 

A strikingly dark Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) on Bodega Head, 6 October 2016.

I photographed this bird while sitting in the car. Here's a view of the underwing when the hawk took off.  Note the very dark leading edge:

 

The hawk landed on the wire very briefly before taking off again.  I didn't get a shot that was in focus, but you can see the red tail, so it seemed worth showing:

 

This is one of the darkest Red-tailed Hawks I've seen on Bodega Head.  Several years ago, I photographed an even darker bird soaring over Bodega Harbor (closer to Doran Beach).  My best guess on that bird was a 'Harlan's Hawk,' a different subspecies.  To see those pictures and to compare the tail colors and patterns, review the post from 28 January 2012.