Dark Morph Ferruginous Hawk looks into the late afternoon sun

Ferruginous Hawks are pretty common on the plains of Colorado this time of year. The dark morph version of the species is quite rare compared to their lighter colored cousins.

This season however there do seem to be a few of the dark morphs hanging out northeast of Denver although that has not necessarily translated into making them easy to get pictures of. They tend to be a bit skittish and when I have found them, lighting has been less than ideal or I just flat out screw up the picture.

Earlier this month I came upon this one as it took a break on top of a utility pole and managed a decent capture. From the looks of the blood on its beak, it clearly had just finished eating. The sun glinting in its eye and the gorgeous blue skies make for a pretty decent image although I of course wish for a more natural perch than this.