With the wintry weather yesterday, a lot of folks likely would have chosen Argentina’s weather over what we saw here. This hawk was likely thinking the same, wishing it had delayed its 6,000 mile migration a week or two.
The Swainson’s hawks began arriving over the past couple of weeks and this was my first decent capture of one for the season. It and its mate have staked out a small stand of trees and will soon be making a nest.
These hawks are some of my favorites. Their insanely long migration is fascinating plus, they are very large, in fact they are one of the largest buteos in North America. Additionally, they are usually quite tolerant allowing for nice pics and when they are active, they have the coolest scream.