Tony's Takes Photography

Wildlife, landscape and weather photography

Mule deer and ferruginous hawk battle on the plains

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A ferruginous hawk lunges at a mule deer doe. (© Tony’s Takes)
A ferruginous hawk lunges at a mule deer doe. (© Tony’s Takes)

So this was an absolutely odd and fascinating scene – scroll down to view the complete sequence. 

Two mule deer does were in a bit of a standoff with a ferruginous hawk. The deer tried to stomp the hawk but when they got close, the hawk jumped at one of the deer and seemed to bite its tail.

I suspect there may have been a fawn in the grass, out of sight, and the does were protecting it but I have never seen anything like this. View the album to see the entire sequence.

Taken at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.

Fantastic ferruginous hawk looks toward the sun

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A ferruginous hawk looks toward the sun while keeping watch on a prairie dog colony. (© Tony’s Takes)
A ferruginous hawk looks toward the sun while keeping watch on a prairie dog colony. (© Tony’s Takes)
Oh, how I love these raptors. They are simply gorgeous and being the largest hawk in North America, quite impressive.

I happened across this one one month ago today as it perched in a tree overlooking a prairie dog colony. No doubt breakfast was on its mind and it was simply waiting and choosing its target.

We see these here in Colorado most often during the winter. A few stay year-round but soon they will become much more scarce.

Focused face of a ferruginous

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A ferruginous hawk stays focused on the photographer. (© Tony’s Takes)
A ferruginous hawk stays focused on the photographer. (© Tony’s Takes)

It certainly would appear I got the attention of this guy / gal. 😉

I happened across this gorgeous ferruginous hawk this past Sunday as it sat perched on a pole keeping watch. These guys are usually relatively tolerant of humans but this one was far more so than normal. I was able to get some great closeups showing those awesome facial features and beautiful plumage.

Ferruginous hawks are the largest buteos in North America and from a distance, their size and profile may have them mistaken for eagles. While they can be found here in Colorado year-round, they are most common during the winter months.

Dark morph ferruginous hawk stretches out

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A dark morph ferruginous hawk stretches its wings on a very cold, Colorado morning. (© Tony’s Takes)
A dark morph ferruginous hawk stretches its wings on a very cold, Colorado morning. (© Tony’s Takes)

With temperatures in the single digits, it is pretty hard to get moving so I can sympathize with this cool raptor. 😉

Ferruginous hawks are my favorite hawks and the dark morphs, well, they are even more special due to their rarity. I have seen a few this season but this is the first one so far that cooperated with me for pictures.

It was quite lackadaisical about the guy with the camera, observing for a bit, then finally doing a stretch and heading off to hunt. Certainly I would have preferred a more natural perch but it was a fun pose and I will take what I can get.

“That’s close enough, Bub!”

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A stare-down with a Ferruginous Hawk. (© Tony’s Takes)
A stare-down with a Ferruginous Hawk. (© Tony’s Takes)

So much personality in that face which is why I love Ferruginous Hawks. Lighting was kind of cruddy when I took this pic this past Saturday but the look on this guy’s / gal’s face is priceless. Something tells me it really didn’t appreciate having its picture taken. See more of these cool raptors here.

Fabulous Ferruginous Hawk takes flight

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A Ferruginous Hawk performs a flyby against deep, blue skies in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Ferruginous Hawk performs a flyby against deep, blue skies in Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

How can you not just love these raptors? They are the largest buteo (hawk) in North America and one of the prettiest.

Their chests are mostly snow white in color and the plumage of their wings, back and head have a beautiful mix of grays and browns. Then of course you have that smile – I call it the ‘joker smile.’

Here is Colorado, we see lots of these during the winter. This particular one gave me a very nice flyby this past weekend.

Do you think it is fun sitting in this ice?

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A Ferruginous Hawk sits in ice-covered grasses. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Ferruginous Hawk sits in ice-covered grasses. (© Tony’s Takes)

A fun shot of a Ferruginous Hawk from this past weekend. The previous day had brought freezing drizzle and overnight temps in the teens kept things quite frozen into the next morning. The grasses were coated with ice but that didn’t stop this raptor from staking out a Prairie Dog colony and waiting for a chance to pounce.

With temperatures getting colder, I am seeing many more of these cool dudes and that makes me happy. They have beautiful plumage and the ‘joker smile’ of theirs is awesome.

Fabulous dark morph Ferruginous Hawk

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Every year there are at least a couple of these dark-plumed beauties hanging out northeast of Denver. This year I have struggled getting pics of them which annoys me. I did get some images of this one a few weeks ago. Light was low so the quality isn’t the greatest but I am still happy to have captured the pics.

These are my favorite hawks. They are very large and can be mistaken for an eagle at a distance. Their plumage is just gorgeous and that smile that they seem to have very cool. While they can be found here in Colorado year-round, they are most common during the winter months.

A dark morph Ferruginous Hawk keeps close watch on the photographer. (© Tony’s Takes)
A dark morph Ferruginous Hawk keeps close watch on the photographer. (© Tony’s Takes)
A dark morph Ferruginous Hawk in Adams County, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A dark morph Ferruginous Hawk in Adams County, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

Unlikely roost-mates

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Not great pics but kind of a fun scene. It isn’t often you see two very different raptors happily sharing a spot. This young Bald Eagle didn’t seem to mind the Ferruginous Hawk that happened to join it in looking for breakfast.

A Ferruginous Hawk and a young Bald Eagle share a roost. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Ferruginous Hawk and a young Bald Eagle share a roost. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Ferruginous Hawk and a young Bald Eagle share a roost. (© Tony’s Takes)
A Ferruginous Hawk and a young Bald Eagle share a roost. (© Tony’s Takes)

“Stick that thing somewhere else!”

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A Ferruginous Hawk last week not looking too thrilled about having its picture taken. 😉 The looks these hawks give are oftentimes just priceless. That ‘joker smile’ of theirs just gives them a unique look unlike any other raptor. Like raptors? Check out the 2018 calendar.

A very serious looking Ferruginous Hawk. (© Tony’s Takes)
A very serious looking Ferruginous Hawk. (© Tony’s Takes)