2x Rough-Legged Hawk, Varangerfjord, Northern Norway (1 Viewer)

Well, I was driving along the north side of the Varangerfjord in Finnmark county, Northern Norway, when just east of Varangerbotn I saw something big diving into a field! :t:

I hit the brakes, parked my car by the roadside, and got out my binos, camera and spotting scope. Turns out it was a Rough-Legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) on the hunt! I watched for several minutes as it repeatedly hovered over its target, before diving down at astonishing speed to catch it. Moments later, a second one, slightly smaller, also arrived and joined in! o

I just wish I had a better camera, as my digital point-and-shoot only has a 5x manual zoom which is really inadequate at a distance, and taking pictures through the spotting scope proved very difficult! I got a couple of blurred shots of the largest one hovering, as well as a long distance shot of one perching on a telephone line. All in all, a great day! :king:

Majestic Raptor, love their frosted white colouring, lucky to have them near by! Super envious!

Sure it wasn't just a Rough-legged Buzzard [Buteo lagopus lagopus]? That's what I'd expect in Norway. Rough-legged Hawk [Buteo lagopus sanctijohannis] would be a mega rarity anywhere in Europe!

Nutcracker said:

Sure it wasn't just a Rough-legged Buzzard [Buteo lagopus lagopus]? That's what I'd expect in Norway. Rough-legged Hawk [Buteo lagopus sanctijohannis] would be a mega rarity anywhere in Europe!

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I was under the impression that the Rough-legged Hawk and Rough-legged Buzzard was one of the same bird? As far as I understand, the Buteo lagopus sanctijohannis is a North American sub-spieces, and is commonly called Hawk over there, while the bird is more commonly named Buzzard in Europe.

I am also pretty sure they were not Common Buzzards (Buteo Buteo) ether, because I could identify their white tail markings, and the Common Buzzard doesn't normally hunt by hovering over its target. It also doesn't like treeless landscapes, which are normal on the Varanger Peninsula.

So yes, you are probably right that it was a pair of Buteo lagopus lagopus.