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.

Mated Pair of Burrowing Owls on a Grassy Hill

By |April 19th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Burrowing Owls, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Last week I did spot something at that badger burrow on the grassy hill that I have been watching for so long and it was a mated pair of Burrowing Owls!

Lark Sparrow with an Ant on Antelope Island

By |April 18th, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Lark Sparrows, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The day I photographed this Lark Sparrow with an ant on the boulder right next to it the light wasn't the best for bird photography but when I reviewed the images and saw the ant I knew I had to keep this photo.

Barn Swallow Nesting Season Has Begun

By |April 17th, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Barn Swallows, Birds, Davis County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Barn Swallows have returned for the nesting season here in northern Utah and if they aren't already building nests they will be constructing them very soon.

White Ibis in a Lagoon – Getting Down & Dirty for the Low Angle Photo

By |April 15th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, White Ibises|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was able to take a nice series of low angle images of this White Ibis in the blue lagoon by staying still as it hunted for food with my lens about an inch or two above the water.

Burrowing Owls With Wildflowers On A Windy Day

By |April 14th, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Burrowing Owls, Davis County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It was challenging to photograph these Burrowing Owls and wildflowers yesterday in the windy conditions but I am glad I had the opportunity because the wildflowers won't last all that long.

Mixture of Spring Birds at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

By |April 13th, 2017|Categories: American Pipits, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Clark's Grebes, House Sparrows, Marsh Wrens, Red-winged Blackbirds, Savannah Sparrows, Utah, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was so happy to photograph this mixture of spring birds at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge that I had a hard time picking out which birds and which photos to share.

Turkey Vultures at a Corral, Hillside Canada Goose and a Red-tailed Hawk Fly Over

By |April 11th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Canada Geese, Red-tailed Hawks, Turkey Vultures, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning was bright and sunny and I had fun photographing Turkey Vultures at a corral, a hillside Canada Goose and a Red-tailed Hawk flying over with nesting materials in northern Utah.

My First of Year Swainson’s Hawk and April Snow on Antelope Island

By |April 10th, 2017|Categories: American Bison, Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Swainson's Hawks, Utah, Wildlife|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

My best find of the day was my first of the year Swainson's Hawk about two thirds of the way down the island perched in some trees near a freshwater spring.

Missing the Birds of Bear River MBR & Spring Migration

By |April 9th, 2017|Categories: American Avocets, American White Pelicans, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Box Elder County, Clark's Grebes, Double-crested Cormorants, Long-billed Dowitchers, Short-eared Owls, Utah, Wilson's Phalaropes|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour route is still closed and many of the birders, bird photographers and nature lovers are itching to know what birds are there because after all spring migration is an exciting time at the refuge.

Female And Male Western Meadowlarks – A Glimpse Into Their Mating Behaviors

By |April 8th, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Utah, Western Meadowlarks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Three days ago while out on Antelope Island State Park under cloudy skies I was able to observe a glimpse into the mating behaviors of a pair of Western Meadowlarks.

Ospreys of Honeymoon Island State Park

By |April 6th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Honeymoon Island State Park, Ospreys, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Honeymoon Island State Park in Pinellas County, Florida is a great place to see and photograph nesting Ospreys, not just one or two nests either, there are often quite a few.

Cinnamon Teal, Short-eared Owl & Red-Tailed Hawk – A Nice Mixture of Birds

By |April 5th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Cinnamon Teals, Red-tailed Hawks, Short-eared Owls, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It felt great to photograph a nice mixture of birds yesterday and and to be out enjoying the beautiful scenery of northern Utah. Life is good.

Male Short-eared Owls On the Prowl in Idaho, Montana and Utah

By |April 3rd, 2017|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Box Elder County, Centennial Valley, Clark County, Idaho, Montana, Short-eared Owls, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Short-eared Owls are nomadic so the places where I saw and photographed these male Short-eared Owls last year may or may not have owls this breeding season.

Song Sparrow In Box Elder County, Utah – Bird Sounds of Spring

By |April 2nd, 2017|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I was trying to photograph some Red-tailed Hawks when I heard a song close to me and realized it was a Song Sparrow before I even located the bird and put my lens on it.

American Bison Tears

By |March 31st, 2017|Categories: American Bison, Antelope Island State Park, Utah, Wildlife|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In this American Bison's tears I saw my own tears and deep concerns for what is happening to our environment now and the potential threats that future generations will have to face if we don't take action today.

Pair of Red-tailed Hawks Mating – A Wild 34 Seconds

By |March 30th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

What I didn't expect yesterday was that I would be able to photograph the Red-tailed Hawks mating on the lichen-covered outcropping but that is what happened

Long-billed Curlews – The Candlestick Birds

By |March 29th, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Long-billed Curlews, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I saw quite a few Long-billed Curlews yesterday wandering in the spring grasses and this time I was able to get nice images of them. Nicknames for Long-billed Curlews include "sicklebird" and "candlestick bird."

Foggy Morning Red-tailed Hawks & Turkey Vulture

By |March 27th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Red-tailed Hawks, Turkey Vultures, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

It wasn't "partly sunny" as predicted but I enjoyed myself while photographing the Turkey Vulture and Red-tailed Hawks on a foggy morning even though it tested my skills and techniques.

American White Pelicans – PeliCam and PeliTrack

By |March 26th, 2017|Categories: American White Pelicans, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

American White Pelicans are returning to their breeding grounds in Utah and I have already seen a few of them myself and though I haven't been able to photograph them yet I know I will soon.

Spring Means Nesting Birds and Chicks – Please Give Them Space

By |March 24th, 2017|Categories: American Coots, American Oystercatchers, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Ferruginous Hawks, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Madison County, Montana, Nesting Birds, Pinellas County, Utah, Wildlife Ethics|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Spring means birds are getting ready to find mates, breed, nesting and raising their young.

Burrowing Owl Near Its Burrow Plus A Bonus Common Raven In Flight

By |March 23rd, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Burrowing Owls, Common Ravens, Davis County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The best bird photography opportunity of the day happened when I spotted a Burrowing Owl near its burrow and I took advantage of the nice light to take quite a few images of the owl framed by grasses and blooming Red-stem Filaree.

Age Related Color Morphs of Little Blue Herons

By |March 22nd, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Little Blue Herons, Pinellas County, Roosevelt Wetlands|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Little Blue Herons start off their lives with white plumage, then look piebald with blue and white fathers and finally look more "blue" as adults.

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