Photographer and Author

About Mia McPherson

I am Mia McPherson. I became seriously passionate about bird photography while living in Florida. After my move West in 2009 I have spent much of my time photographing birds in Utah, Idaho, Montana, and beyond. As a nature lover, bird and wildlife photographer, I have a passion for capturing the beauty and grace of birds and wildlife in their natural habitats.
Life is good.

Male Great-tailed Grackle Looking At… Something

By |2024-03-18T04:41:11-06:00March 18th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I took this photo of a male Great-tailed Grackle, I wondered what the grackle was looking at so intently. The grackle even seemed disturbed by what it could see.

Cooper’s Hawk – Nearly Hidden And In Plain Sight

By |2024-03-17T04:56:08-06:00March 17th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Cooper’s Hawks, Morgan County, Salt Lake County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Two days ago, while I was photographing some Rock Squirrels, I saw a beautiful immature Cooper's Hawk fly in and land in a tangle of trees near the squirrels.

Eyes On The Sky – Osprey Migration Is Underway

By |2024-03-15T04:25:46-06:00March 15th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Ospreys, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It is time for me to keep my eyes on the sky because Osprey migration is underway. Online, in the past week, I've seen them being reported in Montana and Idaho.

Red Fox Kit Photos

By |2024-03-14T05:00:19-06:00March 14th, 2024|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Red Foxes, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Bad weather and bad timing have kept me out of the field for a bit. Today, I am sharing some cute Red Fox kit photos I took almost a year after I moved to Utah.

Immature Common Merganser Shaking Off

By |2024-03-13T07:47:51-06:00March 13th, 2024|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Common Mergansers, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Just a simple photo of an immature Common Merganser today. I took this image of the merganser on the Bear River almost two years ago on a bright, sunny morning.

Film Days: Carolina Wrens And a Northern Cardinal

By |2024-03-12T04:37:03-06:00March 12th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Carolina Wrens, Northern Cardinals, Virginia|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was going through old photos taken with film and decided to share this image of Carolina Wrens and a female Northern Cardinal on my suet feeder in Virginia.

Today Is Utah’s Swan Day For 2024

By |2024-03-09T04:05:56-07:00March 9th, 2024|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Tundra Swans, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Today is March 9th, and it is Utah's Swan Day 2024! The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour loop is a terrific place to see these lovely white swans.

Female Merlin On International Women’s Day

By |2024-03-08T04:27:58-07:00March 8th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Merlins, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I found and photographed this female Merlin at my local pond last month, and she seemed to be the perfect bird for me to share on International Women's Day.

White-tailed Deer Does Plus A Fawn At Sequoyah NWR

By |2024-03-06T05:42:21-07:00March 6th, 2024|Categories: Oklahoma, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, White-tailed Deer|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I photographed these White-tailed Deer does with a fawn last June at Reeve's Slough, which is part of Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.

Great Horned Owl Chick In Coastal Florida

By |2024-03-05T04:03:51-07:00March 5th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Florida, Great Horned Owls, Honeymoon Island State Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This image of a Great Horned Owl chick resting near its nest on the coast Florida in lovely afternoon light brings back wonderful memories for me. It was 2008.

Ring-billed Gull And A Heart Shaped Snowflake

By |2024-03-04T04:10:28-07:00March 4th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Ring-billed Gulls, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It has been six years since I took this photo of a Ring-billed Gull and a heart shaped snowflake in the middle of a winter snowstorm at my local pond.

Comments Off on Ring-billed Gull And A Heart Shaped Snowflake

World Wildlife Day 2024

By |2024-03-03T10:04:21-07:00March 3rd, 2024|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Clark County, Conservation, Great Basin Bumble Bees, House Wrens, Idaho, Long-horned Bees, Moose, Targhee National Forest, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Every March 3, the world comes together to honor World Wildlife Day, a global occasion that pays tribute to the astounding array of life inhabiting our planet.

Dawn Light On A Male Greater Sage-Grouse

By |2024-03-02T11:21:58-07:00March 2nd, 2024|Categories: Birds, Greater Sage-Grouse, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

If I could, I would wish that everyone, at least once in their lifetime, could visit a Greater Sage-Grouse lek while these fascinating birds are displaying.

Male Red-winged Blackbird Singing In A Marsh

By |2024-03-01T04:26:29-07:00March 1st, 2024|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Red-winged Blackbirds, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

One week ago, my ears were delighted to hear this male Red-winged Blackbird singing and calling on the marsh at Farmington Bay WMA. His display was mesmerizing.

Flock Of American Avocets At Farmington Bay

By |2024-02-28T10:18:34-07:00February 28th, 2024|Categories: American Avocets, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

On my last trip to Farmington Bay WMA, I was delighted to have a resting flock of American Avocets in my viewfinder. Seeing these shorebirds delights me.

Drake Common Goldeneyes In Winter

By |2024-02-27T04:35:30-07:00February 27th, 2024|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Common Goldeneyes, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I took this photo of two drake Common Goldeneyes at Bear River MBR almost two years ago, I was laughing as I hit my shutter button. I couldn't help myself.

Winter White-crowned Sparrow Portrait

By |2024-02-26T04:48:15-07:00February 26th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah, White-crowned Sparrows|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I haven't seen as many sparrows this winter as I typically do, so I was tickled to take a few White-crowned Sparrow portraits at Farmington Bay WMA on Friday.

My First Of Year Sandhill Crane

By |2024-02-25T04:02:29-07:00February 25th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Sandhill Cranes, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

While I was at Farmington Bay WMA two days ago, I heard and saw my first Sandhill Crane of the year. The calling crane was in flight, way off in the distance.

Song Sparrow Serenade – Happy Birthday Chris!

By |2024-02-25T03:16:30-07:00February 24th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was serenaded by this Song Sparrow yesterday on the rut-filled road at Farmington Bay WMA. It might seem odd, but this bird reminded me of my youngest son.

Urban Red-winged Blackbird Male Singing

By |2024-02-23T04:29:49-07:00February 23rd, 2024|Categories: Birds, Red-winged Blackbirds, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I dug way back into my files this morning to share this urban Red-winged Blackbird male singing. The date was February 23, 2014, the location was my local pond.

Comments Off on Urban Red-winged Blackbird Male Singing

What Happened To Winter In The Salt Lake Valley?

By |2024-02-22T04:56:12-07:00February 22nd, 2024|Categories: Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It is almost the end of February and I'm wondering what happened to winter this year in the Salt Lake Valley. Has winter gone on walkabout? Where is the snow?

Tundra Swan – Trumpeter Swan Comparison

By |2024-02-22T03:05:12-07:00February 21st, 2024|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Bird ID, Birds, Box Elder County, Trumpeter Swans, Tundra Swans, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I hope this comparison helps anyone who might be struggling with Trumpeter Swan and Tundra Swan identification in the field or when they are looking at their own photos.

Black-billed Magpie With Nesting Materials

By |2024-02-20T10:36:59-07:00February 20th, 2024|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Davis County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

It was my first full spring in Utah, nearly 14 years ago, when my keen eyes were used to find my first Black-billed Magpie nest on Antelope Island State Park.

My Video With A Surprise Great Blue Heron

By |2024-02-19T07:35:41-07:00February 19th, 2024|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah, Video|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

On my last trip up to Bear River MBR, I stopped to take a video on the auto tour loop, and a Great Blue Heron surprised me by flying into view over the river.

Pied-billed Grebe – Breeding And Nonbreeding Plumage Comparison

By |2024-02-18T05:05:26-07:00February 18th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Pied-billed Grebes, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last week, I took a photo of a Pied-billed Grebe in breeding plumage at my local pond. Today, I decided to do a comparison with one in nonbreeding plumage.

Go to Top