The Dark Morph Returns

It was as dark as the ominous storm clouds swirling mightily above me. And it was only the second time I’d seen this unfamiliar raptor in my 20 years of photographing the Carrizo Plain.

I was reasonably familiar with the rusty, light-colored ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis), but a dark morphed version of the large bird was mostly foreign to me. Only 10 percent of the entire ferruginous population is dark morph. (Buteo is the Latin word for ‘buzzard.’)

One of the many things the Carrizo Plain National Monument is known for is its vast, wide-open space. Its 250,000 acres of rolling badlands, seasonal arroyos, remote mountain ranges, and alkali Soda Lake encompasses the last of California’s grasslands. This unique, biodiverse ecosystem provides for a myriad of flora and fauna, and certainly for several species of steely raptors. 

American kestrels, red-tailed hawks, prairie falcons, and northern harriers are readily seen across the plain. Golden eagles are a little more aloof, but when spotted, there’s no denying their size. 

Being the largest and heaviest hawk in North America, ferruginous hawks are sometimes mistaken for an eagle. Their chunky, robust frame, along with their sharply curved yellow beak, can fool the casual observer. They also have leg feathers like a golden eagle. Their broad wingspan stretches 56 inches across. Despite their heftiness, their dives can reach 150 mph. It’s not peregrine falcon fast, but it’s still a buteo blur.

Patience Is a Virtue

After a yearly migration from southern Canada, ferruginous hawks arrive on the Carrizo Plain in the fall. The plumage of their morph phase stands out against the rugged, seemingly barren Temblor Range and the chaparral-cloaked Caliente Mountains. 

No pun intended, but ferruginous hawks kill time by simply waiting for something to stir. One of their predatory tactics is a “sit and wait” approach while perched on the many weathered fence posts left over from the plain’s ranching era from the 1850s to the mid-1900s.

Fortunately, the Carrizo Plain provides plenty of sustenance for these burly buzzards. Giant kangaroo rats, antelope ground squirrels, horned larks, desert cottontail rabbits, and snakes are easily detected by their keen eyes, which makes up most of their diet during the several months they spend on the national monument.

However, they are equally adept at hopping along on the soft alkali loam while foraging for that smorgasbord of rodents. They’ll also hover above active burrows. And they can also pursue prey on foot like a modern-day velociraptor, with ferruginous hawks boasting the biggest talons with the strongest grasp among all buteos.

Chasing Rainbows

As the stormy gray clouds swept eastward over the Temblor Range, I could see bouts of rain, massive sheets of moisture dumping on the Carrizo Plain. Soda Lake Road was my vantage point; the eight-mile paved portion of the road has always been the best place to be when significant storms blow through. Most of the road is dirt and transforms into a gooey quagmire when it gets wet.

Dramatic colors accompanied the tempest. Occasionally, shafts of sunlight shone through the clouds, followed by brilliant, multi-colored rainbows. As the dark canopy traveled toward 8,847-foot Mount Pinos, stunning reflections of the sun’s rays arced in bright orange, blue, yellow, green, and purple across the soggy grasslands. 

That’s when the dark morph ferruginous hawk emerged. It soared in short, circular bursts overhead, but also towards a small herd of tule elk illuminated by the rainbow. The scene was dramatic, wildlife and weather cooperating at the right moment.

Its seemingly black feathers were a mix of deep brown and chestnut, and its underwings were lightly colored. After several passes overhead, the dark morph soared toward the browsing tule elk one more time. Just like it suddenly appeared in the shifting light, the storm clouds swallowed it up. I didn’t see it again.

It wasn’t a pot of treasure at the end of the rainbow, but the fleeting look at the rare morph of a seasonal raptor was as good as gold