Box Elder County – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

World Water Day 2023

By Mia McPherson|2024-02-02T05:37:24-06:00March 22nd, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Centennial Valley, Conservation, Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, Glacier County, Glacier National Park, Juab County, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Sawgrass Lake Park, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, American Coots, aspens, Box Elder County, canyon, Centennial Mountains, Centennial Valley, clouds, conifers, coots, creek, Cygnus columbianus, Fish Springs Range, flight, flock, Florida, flying, footbridge, foothills, grass, grasses, hills, ice, immature, Juab County, maple swamp, marsh, mountains, Pinellas County, pond, Promontory Mountains, rapids, reflections, river, rocks, rushing, sage, sagebrush, Sawgrass Lake Park, shadows, shrubs, sky, snow, snow-topped, spring, summer, swamp, swan, swans, trail, trees, Tundra Swan, Utah, valley, water, waterfowl, west desert, wetlands, Wigeon Pond, willows, winter, young|

Today is World Water Day. The theme for World Water Day 2023 is: Accelerate Change. Every human being on this planet is roughly 60% water.

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Red-tailed Hawk Pre-Lift Off

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-15T05:42:28-05:00March 15th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Box Elder County, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteo jamaicensis calurus, Buteos, desert, grasses, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, lichens, lift off, pre-lift off, raptors, red tail, Red-tailed Hawk, rocks, rufous, sky, take off, Utah, winter|

It's been about four years since I photographed this rufous Red-tailed Hawk in in a pre-lift off pose way up in northern Utah. This pose can be hard to capture.

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Double-crested Cormorant on the Bear River

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-14T04:53:10-05:00March 14th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Double-crested Cormorants, Utah|Tags: adult, Bear River, cormorant, cormorants, Double-crested Cormorant, Nannopterum auritus, reflection, river, spring, swimming, water, waterbirds, wetlands|

I photographed this adult Double-crested Cormorant at the end of March last spring as it swam by me on the Bear River. The color of its eyes was so striking.

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Looking Back On The Winter Of 2022/2023

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-09T05:05:51-06:00March 9th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: auto tour loop, grass, grasses, haze, Jeep, marsh, mirror, mountains, Promontory Mountains, road, sky, snow, wetlands, winter|

Spring is just days away now and I've been looking back on the winter of of 2022/2023. As a photographer it has kind of sucked for me. But Utah has gotten plenty of snow.

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Great Blue Heron: Solitude On The Ice

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-06T02:52:16-06:00March 6th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, edge, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, ice, marsh, mountains, phragmites, phrags, Promontory Mountains, sky, snow, snow covered, wading birds, wetlands, wide angle, winter|

On my last journey up to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge I stopped to take photos of a majestic Great Blue Heron enjoying some solitude on the ice.

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Tracking Tundra Swan U915: A Story of Survival

By Mia McPherson|2023-11-10T02:44:56-06:00March 5th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Tundra Swans, Utah|Tags: adult, banded, collared, Cygnus columbianus, flock, grasses, ice, inset, male, marsh, mountains, Promontory Mountains, sky, snow, snow covered, swan, swans, Tundra Swan, U915, USGS, water, waterfowl, wetlands, Whistling Swan, winter|

Three days ago I found a collared Tundra Swan in a flock of swans at Bear River MBR. The blue collar caught my eye and I took photos of the swan.

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Singing Red-winged Blackbird Male

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-04T04:07:05-06:00March 4th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Bird ID, Box Elder County, Red-winged Blackbirds, Utah|Tags: adult, Agelaius phoeniceus, Bear River, blackbird, blackbirds, male, perched, Red-winged Blackbird, river, riverbank, singing, wetlands, winter|

After my long and photo heavy Tundra Swan post yesterday I am keeping my post today simple. I'm sharing a single photo of a singing Red-winged Blackbird male.

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Big & Beautiful: Tundra Swans of Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|2024-02-05T03:22:54-06:00March 3rd, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Tundra Swans, Utah|Tags: adult, alert, bath, bathing, bill, close, Cygnus columbianus, droplets, flight, flock, flying, goofy, ice shelf, immature, marsh, nips, Promontory Mountains, relaxing, resting, sky, snow, spot, swans, Tundra Swan, walking, water, waterfowl, wetlands, winter, young|

Yesterday morning I spent time with a flock of big, beautiful Tundra Swans at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I loved every moment that I had with the swans.

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Hen Common Merganser At Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-01T08:05:41-06:00March 1st, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Common Mergansers, Utah|Tags: adult, bath, bathing, Common Merganser, diving ducks, duck, ducks, female, flapping, hen, ice, ice shelf, icy, marsh, merganser, mergansers, Mergus merganser, snow, water, wetlands, wings, winter|

Last month I photographed this hen Common Merganser in a small spot of open water next to an ice shelf at Bear River MBR. It was a very cold morning.

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Young Bald Eagle Looking Fierce

By Mia McPherson|2024-02-06T03:17:09-06:00February 28th, 2023|Categories: Bald Eagles, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: Bald Eagle, blue, desert, eagle, eagles, Eagles of Utah, fierce, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, looking, perched, pole, power pole, ranchlands, raptors, sky, subadult, winter, young|

Today I'm sharing a photo of a young Bald Eagle who was looking mighty fierce while perched on a power pole that I took last February on a very cold morning.

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Migrating Sandhill Cranes On The Wing

By Mia McPherson|2023-02-25T15:39:53-06:00February 25th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Sandhill Cranes, Utah|Tags: adult, Antigone canadensis, calling, crane, cranes, flight, flying, late, marsh, mates, mountains, pair, Sandhill Crane, snowy, wetlands, winter|

I heard through the grapevine that Sandhill Cranes have returned to Farmington Bay WMA. Since the cranes are there they might be at other Utah locations too.

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Great Blue Heron On Ice – Small In Frame

By Mia McPherson|2023-11-03T02:18:04-05:00February 20th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, ice, marsh, shadow, small in frame, snow, snow covered, wading birds, wetlands, winter|

Last week I had the opportunity to photograph a Great Blue Heron on the ice at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, where the heron was small in the frame.

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Luminous Snow-covered Promontory Mountains

By Mia McPherson|2023-02-19T11:26:50-06:00February 19th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: alkali flats, alpenglow, dawn, flats, luminous, mountains, pink glow, playa, Promontory Mountain Range, Promontory Mountains, sky, snow, snow-covered, sunrise, winter|

While I was driving to the auto tour loop at Bear River MBR last week, I stopped to take photos of the luminous, snow-covered Promontory Mountains.

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Canada Geese Courtship: A Prelude To Spring

By Mia McPherson|2023-02-18T04:45:52-06:00February 18th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Canada Geese, Utah|Tags: adult, Bear River, Branta canadensis, Canada Geese, Canada Goose, frozen, geese, goose, grass, grasses, guard, ice, ranchlands, resting, river, river bottom, riverbank, snow, standing, waterfowl, winter|

February might seem early but I'm already noticing that Canada Geese are pairing up at Bear River MBR which is a prelude to the arrival of spring.

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Dapper Drake Common Merganser At Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|2023-02-18T03:31:36-06:00February 17th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Common Mergansers, Utah|Tags: adult, bathing, breeding plumage, Common Merganser, diving ducks, drake, ice, male, marsh, merganser, mergansers, Mergus merganser, water, wetlands, winter|

Today I am sharing photos of a dapper drake Common Merganser in his finest breeding plumage that I took four mornings ago at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

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Great Blue Heron Slip Slidin’ Away

By Mia McPherson|2023-02-16T04:41:36-06:00February 16th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, flight, flying, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, ice, icy, jumping, landing, marsh, open water, sliding, slip, slippery, slipping, wading birds, walking, wetlands, winter|

Earlier this week, I visited Bear River MBR and had a fantastic time capturing photographs of birds sliding on the ice. This included an adult Great Blue Heron.

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Great Goldeneye-Merganser Showdown: Who Won the Shad?

By Mia McPherson|2023-02-15T03:03:56-06:00February 15th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Common Goldeneyes, Common Mergansers, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: Ardea herodias, bill, Bucephala clangula, chasing, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, feet, female, fish, following, Great Blue Heron, hen, ice, legs, male, marsh, Mergus merganser, prey, running, shad, sliding, slipping, thin, wading birds, winter|

On my last trip to Bear River MBR I saw and photographed a Goldeneye-Merganser showdown where the prize that was being fought over was a shiny shad.

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Bear River MBR: Winter Haven For Tundra Swans

By Mia McPherson|2023-02-07T06:42:36-06:00February 7th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Tundra Swans, Utah|Tags: adult, azure, Cygnus columbianus, flight, flying, immature, marsh, sky, swan, swans, Tundra Swan, Tundra Swans, waterfowl, wetlands, winter, young|

I had hoped that this morning would be sunny so I could head to Bear River MBR to see, listen to, and photograph Tundra Swans on the marshes.

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Driftwood Guardian: Rough-legged Hawk

By Mia McPherson|2023-02-06T05:01:35-06:00February 6th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, driftwood, frosty, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, male, perched, ranchlands, raptors, river, Rough-legged Hawk, snag, snow, wetlands, winter|

I stopped to take photos of an adult male Rough-legged Hawk perched on a driftwood snag over the Bear River when I was leaving Bear River MBR four days ago.

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Leaning Post Bald Eagle

By Mia McPherson|2024-02-06T04:08:26-06:00February 4th, 2023|Categories: Bald Eagles, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: adult, Bald Eagle, birds of prey, eagle, eagles, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, leaning, looking, marsh, perched, post, raptors, stern, tradition, wetlands, winter|

After my recent visit to Bear River MBR I wanted to share photos of a Bald Eagle on a leaning post that can be seen from the road leading to the auto tour loop.

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My Shadow Plus The Wild Beauty of Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|2024-01-31T19:24:49-06:00February 3rd, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: beauty, frozen, ice, landscape, marsh, mountains, Promontory Mountains, scenery, shadow, sky, snow, snow-capped, snow-covered, water, wetlands, wild, winter|

Yesterday morning while it was still dark I bundled up and drove up to soak in the wild beauty of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I am so glad that I went.

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A Shadow Will Be Seen

By Mia McPherson|2023-02-02T04:24:56-06:00February 2nd, 2023|Categories: Box Elder County, Utah, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: adult, desert, foothills, ground squirrels, Groundhog Day, lichens, male, marmot, Marmota flaviventris, marmots, Promontory Mountains, rocks, winter, Yellow-bellied Marmot|

This morning a shadow will be seen by any Yellow-bellied Marmots that venture above the snow-covered, frozen ground in northern Utah.

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Winter Loggerhead Shrike: A Species In Decline

By Mia McPherson|2023-01-16T08:21:16-06:00January 16th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Loggerhead Shrikes, Utah|Tags: adult, desert, desert habitat, Lanius ludovicianus, Loggerhead Shrike, perched, shrike, shrikes, territorial, winter|

Due to extended gray, cloudy weather and not getting out into the field I dug into my archives and today I am sharing a photo of a winter Loggerhead Shrike.

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Rough-legged Hawk Staredown

By Mia McPherson|2023-01-11T04:34:48-06:00January 11th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, close up, cold, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, light morph, male, marsh, mountains, perched, portrait, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, sign, sky, snow, staredown, wetlands, winter|

One year ago this morning I was on the road to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge where my best subject of the day was a male light morph Rough-legged Hawk.

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Immature Herring Gull Testing The Ice

By Mia McPherson|2023-01-06T13:07:02-06:00January 6th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Herring Gulls, Utah|Tags: gull, gulls, Herring Gull, ice, immature, insurrection, January 6th, Larus argentatus, marsh, testing, water, wetlands, winter, young|

It was January 6, 2021, when I photographed this immature Herring Gull testing the ice at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

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Hello 2023!

By Mia McPherson|2023-09-15T14:45:05-05:00January 1st, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, dense, fog, foggy, Great Blue Heron, heavy fog, heron, herons, ice, marsh, snow, wading birds, wetlands, winter|

Hello 2023! I hope that 2023 will be wonderful for each and everyone of us. Right now it isn't clear what 2023 will bring.

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My 2022 Year In Review

By Mia McPherson|2023-11-10T04:24:07-06:00December 31st, 2022|Categories: American Kestrels, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Box Elder County, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Golden Eagles, Great Horned Owls, Horned Grebes, Morgan County, Ring-billed Gulls, Rock Wrens, Ruffed Grouse, Tundra Swans, Utah, Warbling Vireos, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: adult, Amelanchier utahensis, American Kestrel, Aquila chrysaetos, autumn, background, berries, Bewick's Swan, bill, birds of prey, Black-billed Magpie, blooming, blooms, blossoms, Bonasa umbellus, boulder, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Bubo virginianus, building, canyon, close up, corvids, Cygnus columbianus, Cygnus columbianus bewickii, Davis County, desert, dirt, eagle, eagles, Falco sparverius, falcon, falcons, fall, farmlands, female, fledgling, flight, flock, flowering, flowering shrub, flying, forest edge, fruiting shrub, fruits, fruting shrubs, Golden Eagle, gorget, Great Horned Owl, grebe, grebes, grouse, gull, gulls, Horned Grebe, hummingbird, hummingbirds, immature, juvenile, kestrel, kestrels, Larus delawarensis, lichen, lores, magpie, magpies, male, marsh, mountains, nest, nest box, nesting, nonbreeding plumage, owl, owls, perched, Pica hudsonia, Podiceps auritus, raptors, rare, reflection, Ring-billed Gull, riparian habitat, road, roadside, rock, Rock Wren, rocks, Ruffed Grouse, Salpinctes obsoletus, Selasphorus platycercus, serviceberries, serviceberry, Setophaga petechia, shrub, spring, stink-eye, summer, swan, swans, thicket, tree, Tundra Swans, Utah, Utah Serviceberry, vagrant, warbler, warblers, water, waterbirds, waterfowl, wetlands, willow, willow thicket, willows, winter, winter plumage, wood-warbler, wood-warblers, wren, wrens, Yellow Warbler, young|

On this last day of the year it is time for my annual 2022 Year in Review post. In some ways 2022 has been great for me and in others not so good.

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Wildflowers I Photographed In 2022

By Mia McPherson|2022-12-29T04:11:01-06:00December 29th, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Blue Elderberry, Box Elder County, Chicory, Common Mullein, Common Sunflowers, Curlycup Gumweed, Davis County, East Canyon, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Flatbud Prickly Poppy, Gray’s Biscuitroot, Hound’s Tongue, Lewis’s Flax, Longleaf Phlox, Morgan County, Mountain Goldenbanner, Parsnipflower Buckwheat, Purple Loosestrife, Roundleaf Snowberry, Rubber Rabbitbrush, Scarlet Gilia, Showy Milkweed, Silvery Lupine, Spearleaf Arnica, Sticky Purple Geraniums, Summit County, Tooele County, Utah, Utah Serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains, Western Chokecherry, White Water Crowfoot, Wood's Rose|Tags: Aster, Beardtongue, blooming, blooms, Blue Elderberry, Blue Flax, Chicory, Common Mullein, Common Sunflower, Curlycup Gumweed, Flatbud Prickly Poppy, flowering, flowers, Gray's Biscuitroot, Houndstongue, Lewis's flax, Longleaf Phlox, Mountain Goldenbanner, Parsnipflower Buckwheat, Penstemon, Prickly Poppy, Purple Loosestrife, Roundleaf Snowberry, Rubber Rabbitbrush, Scarlet Gilia, Showy Milkweed, Silvery Lupine, Spearleaf Arnica, Sticky Purple Geranium, Utah Serviceberry, Western Chokecherry, White Water-crowfoot, wildflower, wildflowers, Woods' Rose|

This morning I wanted to share some of the wildflowers I photographed in 2022. Birds are my primary subjects yet I simply can't resist focusing on wildflowers.

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Birds On Ice In Northern Utah

By Mia McPherson|2022-12-14T04:20:48-06:00December 14th, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Canada Geese, Common Ravens, Ring-billed Gulls, Salt Lake County, Trumpeter Swans, Tundra Swans, Utah|Tags: adult, Branta canadensis, Canada Geese, Canada Goose, Common Raven, corvids, Corvus corax, Cygnus buccinator, Cygnus columbianus, feathers, geese, goose, gull, gulls, ice, Larus delawarensis, marsh, phragmites, phrags, pond, raven, ravens, Ring-billed Gull, shadow, stretching, swan, swans, Trumpeter Swan, Tundra Swan, urban, vegetation, walking, wary, waterfowl, wetlands, wings, winter|

This morning I'm sharing photos of five bird species that I find on ice during the coldest months of the year in marsh and urban locations.

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Bright Winter Light VS A Winter Whiteout

By Mia McPherson|2022-12-04T04:41:24-06:00December 3rd, 2022|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Davis County, Tundra Swans, Utah|Tags: adult, Antelope Island Causeway, back view, bright, Cygnus columbianus, field of snow, fog, ice, light, marsh, snow, standing, swan, swans, Tundra Swan, waterfowl, wetlands, white on white, white out, winter|

Earlier this year I photographed a Tundra Swan in bright winter light that today I am comparing to another swan image I took in winter whiteout conditions.

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