My Story Timeline
I write about the true stories behind my images and share them on my site. One day, I might write about birds; the next, about an insect; and the following day, I might focus on a specific location. Each of these stories revolves around nature, my connection to it, or my concerns about preserving our natural world. This journal primarily serves as a collection of factual accounts from my journeys in the field.
While my primary passion is for birds, since everything in nature is interconnected, I photograph everything and write about it all. My life has always been intertwined with nature, and I hope it always will be.
Best wishes,
Mia
Juvenile Female Northern Harrier – The Eyes Have It
Eye color can be used to sex juvenile Northern Harriers, brown for juvenile females and yellowish for the males and this harrier is a definite brown-eyed beauty.
Frosted Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area
I have mentioned in recent posts that winter can be harsh in the Salt Lake Valley in posts with images I had taken at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area so I wanted to share these two images taken there yesterday.
White-crowned Sparrows with Frost and Fluff
One of the food items that White-crowned Sparrows depend on during the harsh winters in Utah are the fluffy seeds of the Rabbitbrush that can be covered in hoar frost.
Female Northern Harrier in flight at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area
While I was photographing some ducks and grebes yesterday I spotted this female Northern Harrier in flight coming in from the south and when she flew over the water I was able to get a series of images of her against the sky.
Song Sparrow On A Bitter Cold Winter Day
Yesterday the lowest temperature I saw at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area was -12F which reinforces the thought that "bird photography isn't for everyone" and that winters in Utah are hard on the birds.
Female American Kestrel And An American Pipit’s Demise
I normally see American Kestrels with voles as prey but seeing her with the American Pipit once again showed me why American Kestrels used to be called Sparrow Hawks which is why some people probably still use that name.
Coyote In A Whiteout
All of the snow we have now reminded me of being on Antelope Island State Park last January and photographing birds and Coyotes in near whiteout conditions.
Atypical Mule Deer Buck On Antelope Island State Park
I like this atypical Mule Deer because he isn't typical instead he is different, he stands out.
Photos That Make Me Laugh – Ruddy Duck Female
Some times when I open a photo I took I can't help but laugh for various reasons, in this case when I opened the file the pose of this Ruddy Duck female just "quacked" me up.
Tricolored Heron Hunting In The Surf Of The Gulf Of Mexico
Waves, warm sand, a camera in hand and a Tricolored Heron. Such simple things but they bring such great pleasure.
Ferruginous Hawk in flight and chicks in a nest
Ferruginous Hawks are the largest hawk in North America which are only found in Canada and the United States and recent DNA analysis suggests that Ferruginous Hawks may be closer to Eagles in taxonomy than that of a hawk.
Mountain Plover on Antelope Island State Park
Eight months ago I spotted two Mountain Plovers on Antelope Island State Park and I am still blown away by seeing and photographing those beautiful shorebirds who are uncommon in Utah.
Gotta Love Those Shorebirds – Semipalmated Plover
I photographed this Semipalmated Plover as it foraged along the Gulf of Mexico in Florida in 2008 while I laid flat on the wet sand getting soaked as the waves pushed onto the shore around the sand bar in the distance.
American Avocets at rest in the Great Salt Lake
The first time I went to Antelope Island State Park was on July 28, 2008 and among the wonderful things that I saw and photographed that trip were hundreds of American Avocets along the causeway to the island.
An Osprey Just Floundering Around
Some of my images make me laugh and this Osprey image with a Flounder that weighs almost as much as the bird does make me laugh.
Juvenile Brown Pelican portrait
I like Brown Pelicans and even though I don't see them here in Utah I have plenty of images on file that I took during the period of time that I lived in Florida.
Thanksgiving 2013
I have so very much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, I see the most incredible things in nature and I am blessed to be able to capture it all through my lens.
Juvenile White-crowned Sparrow on a wild Rose
Simple things in nature delight me so being able to photograph this juvenile White-crowned Sparrow on a wild rose did just that, it delighted me.
Great Blue Heron at Farmington Bay WMA
Great Blue Herons are year round residents at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area here in northern Utah which means they deal with bitter cold, snow covered ground and icy water.
Missing Montana’s Great Horned Owls
Great Horned Owls and old wood just seem to go together, the warm tones of the wood are a great compliment to the same tones in the plumage of Great Horned Owls.
White Ibis In Breeding And Nonbreeding Plumage
There isn't much of a change between the plumage in breeding and nonbreeding White Ibis, primarily the differences are in the legs, bill and lores.
An American Bison and the Great Salt Lake
I love to get images of the American Bison and the Great Salt Lake in the same frame especially if there are mountains in the background so I was happy to get the snow covered Wasatch Mountains and the Great Salt Lake in this image
Black Skimmers In Flight
I photographed these Black Skimmers in flight at the north beach of Fort De Soto County Park in Florida one cool January morning.
Snowy Egret In The Mangroves
Snowy Egret in the mangroves below the footbridge so I ducked down and hid behind the mangroves at the base of the bridge to photograph the egret
Great Blue Heron’s Reaction to a Great Egret’s Intrusion
Back in March of 2009 while I was photographing a Great Blue Heron on the north beach of Fort De Soto County Park in Florida a Great Egret flew in and walked close to the Great Blue Heron and me.
Good News On The San Rafael Swell
Last Friday Juan Palma; the BLM state director, yanked most of the federal acreage within the San Rafael area that was slated to be on the auction block for oil and gas leases.
Winter Coyote
Yesterday I heard Coyotes calling on Antelope Island State Park, it has been a while since I heard the Song Dogs singing so I was thrilled to hear them.
Scruffy sub-adult Swainson’s Hawk
Seriously, I wish I understood more about molting with many of the raptors including Swainson's Hawk and perhaps if I ever find some free time I will attempt to study molt patterns more closely.
Red-tailed Hawk Adult At Farmington Bay WMA
I was happy that I found this adult Red-tailed Hawk at Farmington Bay WMA and that it did lift off after a bit because as handsome as they can be perched they are even more beautiful On The Wing.
Male Red-winged Blackbird singing on a Mangrove
I don't if this male was successful with the female Red-winged Blackbirds but he sure had me mesmerized with his sleek black feathers and his flashing red, orange and yellow epaulets.