Mia McPherson

Adult and juvenile White Ibis

By Mia McPherson, on May 20th, 2013%

Adult White Ibis – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/500, ISO 250, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light

White Ibis can be strange looking birds to people who have never seen them before, they have soft, sky blue eyes, skinny legs, long necks and a bill that could be compared to Jimmy Durante’s nose. The adults have white feathers, hence the name White Ibis.

There are three other Ibis species found in North America, the White-faced, Glossy and Scarlet Ibis. In the wild I have seen all but the Scarlet Ibis.

I photographed this adult White Ibis at Fort De Soto County Park’s north beach in a tidal lagoon one evening in June of 2009, the sun was starting to set and the tide was going out rapidly.

Juvenile White Ibis - Nikon D200, handheld, f7.1, 1/500, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 330mm, natural light

Juvenile White Ibis have the same shaped body, legs, neck and bill and their eyes are also a sky blue but their feather colors are different. Immature White Ibis have browns and tans in their plumage and as they age those feathers are replaced with white, they can look piebald until that change occurs.

This juvenile white Ibis was photographed in December of 2008 about 200 feet from where the adult above was photographed in the same lagoon but earlier in the afternoon so I didn’t have that soft golden light that shows in the image with the adult.

Have a great day,

Mia

Flaming Gorge Brewer’s Sparrow

By Mia McPherson, on May 19th, 2013%

Singing Brewer’s Sparrow

Brewer’s Sparrows were abundant at the location where we photographed Ospreys close to the Flaming Gorge Reservoir last week and it seemed like they sang every time they popped up on top of the Sagebrush in the area. The Osprey spent enormous amounts of time preening on top of an ugly power pole close by or off in the distance eating fish on another power pole so I was glad the Brewer’s Sparrows were there for their song and because they make great subjects.

Brewer’s Sparrow on a Sagebrush near the Flaming Gorge Reservoir

The Brewer’s Sparrow in these images snuck up on the ground and it was foraging and singing from inside the sagebrush before it popped up to the top, I like being able to tell a bird is there before I see them because I can anticipate where they might show up. The sparrow was so close I was concerned that it might be too close for my minimum focusing range but I worried needlessly about that though I do wish I had set my aperture for more depth of field.

Alert Brewer’s Sparrow

Brewer’s Sparrows breed in Utah and are fond of arid brushlands and deserts of the High Plains and Great Basin where they ground forage for insects and seeds. The male Brewer’s Sparrow sings continuously in the spring to attract a mate, this sparrow sure did!

Mia

Ospreys of Flaming Gorge

By Mia McPherson, on May 18th, 2013%

Male Osprey in flight – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/640, ISO 800, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited

Our trip to Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area in northeastern Utah was great despite my having been ill the last night we were there. We camped in two different locations this time and both had grand views of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

Last year at about this same time these Osprey were busy building their nest while this year they were already sitting on eggs. The male pictured above was flying past the nest with part of a fish in its talons. We sat for nearly an hour watching the male eat this fish on a distant power pole before he flew past. Have I ever mentioned that one needs tons of patience to be a bird photographer?

Female Osprey in golden light - Nikon D300, f5.6, 1/1000, ISO 800, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 357mm, natural light, not baited

The light in the morning can be gorgeous at Flaming Gorge, it was when I photographed the female regaining her balance on top of a power pole near the nest. We didn’t see much of this golden light though this trip. The Uinta Mountains can create their own weather and they certainly did the days we were there with clouds building up in the afternoons, some rain and thunderstorms too.

Female Osprey in low light - Nikon D300, f5.6, 1/160, ISO 1250, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited

The last morning the light was low with clouds that were blocking the sun and spitting some rain down on us. I bumped my ISO up to 1250 and hoped to get a few useable images of the Osprey before we left. Even at ISO 1250 I wasn’t getting the shutter speed I would have liked and all the flight images I took had plenty of motion blur, I think I was quite lucky to get the female’s face in focus as she came in for a landing in this frame.

The beauty of Flaming Gorge - Nikon D300, f8, 1/500, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 95mm, natural light

Who couldn’t love this view? I know each time I see it I am in awe of the beauty of the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, and this view is just a tiny part of the stunning vistas seen in the area.

I’ll be posting more Osprey images from this journey later along with scenery from other parts of the Recreation Area and Ashley National Forest.

Male Cassin’s Finch

By Mia McPherson, on May 17th, 2013%

Male Cassin’s Finch

I’ve only had one opportunity to photograph Cassin’s Finches so far and that was in the small town of Lakeview where the headquarters of Red Rock Lakes national Wildlife Refuge is located. Typically I don’t photograph birds at or near feeders but in this case there was a feeder nearby. The background is an old wooden building so the setting wasn’t as natural as I would like either but I wanted the images I took of a bird that has otherwise been a nemesis for me.

That strong bill looks like it wouldn’t have any trouble cracking a hard-shelled nut!

Mia

~I’m back from my trip and trying to catch up.

Male Long-billed Curlew in flight

By Mia McPherson, on May 16th, 2013%

Long-billed Curlew in flight

Last week; while fighting off a bloodsucking cloud of no-see-ums, I was able to photograph this male Long-billed Curlew as it flew past me. The background is the Great Salt Lake at the bottom, the distant Promontory Mountains and above them the sky.

The swarms of biting gnats have been dreadful so far this year and I am impatiently waiting for them to disappear but I’ll keep going to the island to photograph birds and wildlife, they won’t win.

Mia

~I’m out of town but will be back soon, please feel free to share this post with your friends and family!