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 spent much of my time photographing birds in Utah, Idaho, Montana, and beyond. Now I photograph in primarily in east central Oklahoma and Arkansas. 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.

Female Yellow Warbler Foraging In Sage

By |June 20th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Northern Yellow Warblers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I don't see Yellow Warblers foraging in sage very often so I was thrilled to photograph an adult female as she poked around a clump of sagebrush in the Wasatch Mountains yesterday.

Female Brown-headed Cowbird In A Serviceberry

By |June 17th, 2020|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Centennial Valley, Montana, Morgan County, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Savannah Sparrows, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Three days ago one of the birds that the Song Sparrows chased off was an adult female Brown-headed Cowbird that landed on a serviceberry in front of me.

Female Broad-tailed Hummingbird At A Blooming Snowberry

By |June 15th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Female Broad-tailed Hummingbirds do all the nest building, incubating, feeding and rearing of their young while they are here during their breeding season.

Say’s Phoebes And Sagebrush

By |June 12th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Habitat, Say's Phoebes, Shrubs, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Over time I have come to associate Say's Phoebes with sagebrush because I don't think I have ever seen or photographed one of these phoebes where there wasn't sage nearby here in northern Utah.

Soaking Wet MacGillivray’s Warbler After Leaf-bathing

By |June 11th, 2020|Categories: Birds, MacGillivray's Warblers, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday I was allowed a peek into the leaf-bathing behavior of this MacGillivray's Warbler I photographed high in the Wasatch Mountains.

Painted Lady Butterfly And Rocky Mountain Bee Plants

By |June 10th, 2020|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Painted Lady Butterflies, Utah, Wildflowers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I'd forgotten about this Painted Lady butterfly I photographed in August of 2017 that I found while photographing hummingbirds on Antelope Island State Park.

MacGillivray’s Warblers In The Wasatch Mountains

By |June 7th, 2020|Categories: Birds, MacGillivray's Warblers, Morgan County, Song Sparrows, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Despite the difficulties I have finding and photographing MacGillivray's Warblers I will keep trying to take better images of them.

Photographing Gray Catbird Interactions In The Mountains

By |June 6th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Gray Catbirds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This morning I'm grateful that I spotted a single Gray Catbird pop up on top of a snowberry bush yesterday morning because if I hadn't none of the following photos would have been possible.

Female Black-chinned Hummingbird In The Wasatch Mountains

By |June 3rd, 2020|Categories: Birds, Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday I saw this female Black-chinned Hummingbird land on a willow branch not far from where I sat in a mobile blind and I was delighted to photograph her.

Two Greater Sage-Grouse Foraging On The Aquarius Plateau

By |June 2nd, 2020|Categories: Birds, Dixie National Forest, Greater Sage-Grouse, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I found these two foraging Greater Sage-Grouse high up on the Aquarius Plateau in Wayne County, Utah five years ago today.

An American Robin Who Briefly Fooled My Ears

By |June 1st, 2020|Categories: American Robins, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

And I then had an "Ah ha" moment. No wonder I thought I was hearing a Cedar Waxwing when in actuality it was the American Robin calling out because of a predator that I did not see.

Female Mountain Bluebird With Prey

By |May 31st, 2020|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Montana, Mountain Bluebirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

As I went through the images I took four years ago this photo of a female Mountain Bluebird perched on an old fence post with prey for her young in her bill stood out to me.

Well Hello There Green-tailed Towhee – I’ve Been Expecting You

By |May 30th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Green-tailed Towhees, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I heard the male Green-tailed Towhee before I could see him perched on the weathered post with lichens on the top so a view of him was no surprise for me.

Song Sparrow On A Cloudy Spring Morning

By |May 29th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Song Sparrows, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The Song Sparrow didn't let the gray clouds overhead, the moisture in the air or its damp feathers stop it from singing to all the other birds within earshot. I have to admire that.

Hearing Thousands Of American Goldfinches Flying Overhead

By |May 28th, 2020|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I have never heard so many American Goldfinches flying overhead for such a long period of time and I was in awe. I still am.

Sunrise with a Long-billed Curlew In A Florida Lagoon

By |May 27th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Long-billed Curlews, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I will say that my favorite and most memorable times photographing Long-billed Curlews happened while I was still living in Florida well away from their breeding grounds.

Adult Turkey Vultures Thermoregulating

By |May 26th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Turkey Vultures, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In April there was a bright, sunny morning when I had several opportunities to photograph adult Turkey Vultures warming up after a chilly night by thermoregulating.

Tree Swallows Nesting In The Uinta Mountains

By |May 25th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Tree Swallows, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Uinta Wasatch Cache National Forest, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Tree Swallows and other birds should be nesting in the Uinta Mountains by now and I am itching to hop into my Jeep to drive up there to find them.

Serviceberries Are Blooming In The Wasatch Mountains

By |May 24th, 2020|Categories: Morgan County, Shrubs, Trees, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

What got me so excited was seeing how many serviceberries there were blooming on the slopes of the mountains and how thick the blossoms were on each of the shrubs.

One Spring Morning When Yellow-rumped Warblers Dripped From Trees

By |May 23rd, 2020|Categories: Birds, Morgan County, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow-rumped Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Almost one year ago I spent my morning photographing so many Yellow-rumped Warblers that they seemed to almost drip from the trees.

Searching And Listening For Cedar Waxwings

By |May 22nd, 2020|Categories: Birds, Cedar Waxwings, East Canyon, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Every time I've gone up into the Wasatch Mountains lately I have been searching and listening for Cedar Waxwings to observe and photograph.

Go to Top