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Rough-legged Hawk
Buteo lagopus
 
 
Copyright David Seibel, 2005 (#997) | Send Comment

Camera: Canon EOS 20D
Exposure: 1/1000 sec, f/8.0, ISO 200
Lens: Canon 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4x II TC
Date: December 19, 2005
Location: Douglas County, Kansas, USA

Description: This bird has apparently taken up residence for the winter in the remnant prairie in southern Douglas County, Kansas. I'd seen it on both of my previous visits in November and December as I searched unsuccessfully for Short-eared Owls. Unlike Red-tailed Hawks, this bird typically sits on small branches in the top of a tree some distance away from the road. It seems very wary, usually flying away immediately if I even slow down my car, but I captured this image just after dawn when the temperature was about zero degrees Fahrenheit, and the bird didn't seem to be in as big a hurry to move.