canyon – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Green-tailed Towhee Close Up Photos

By Mia McPherson|2022-07-10T08:05:25-05:00June 25th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Green-tailed Towhees, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, Amelanchier utahensis, canyon, close up, Green-tailed Towhee, metal pipe, mountains, Pipilo chlorurus, rusty, serviceberry, sparrow, sparrows, summer, towhee, towhees, Utah Serviceberry|

While photographing nesting House Wrens three days ago I was also able to photograph an adult Green-tailed Towhee up close in a serviceberry shrub.

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Adult House Wren With A Large Feather

By Mia McPherson|2024-02-26T10:36:27-06:00June 24th, 2021|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, feather, House Wren, metal pipe, mountains, nest, nest entrance, nesting material, nesting season, rusty, summer, Troglodytes aedon|

After taking photos of Cliff Swallows gathering nesting materials two days ago I took more House Wren photos of the nesting pair I found in the Wasatch Mountains.

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Cliff Swallows Gathering Nesting Materials

By Mia McPherson|2021-06-23T05:31:13-05:00June 23rd, 2021|Categories: Birds, Cliff Swallows, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, aggressive behavior, behavior, canyon, Cliff Swallow, fighting, fluttering, mountains, nest building, nesting material, nesting materials, nesting season, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, summer, Summit County, swallow, swallows, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, wings|

Yesterday morning I photographed Cliff Swallows gathering nesting materials and fighting in bright morning light high in the Wasatch Mountains.

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Nesting House Wren Photos

By Mia McPherson|2024-02-26T11:02:10-06:00June 22nd, 2021|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, Amelanchier utahensis, canyon, entrance, House Wren, metal pipe, mountains, nest, nesting, prey, rusty, sagebrush, serviceberry, singing, stump, summer, Summit County, Troglodytes aedon, Utah, Utah Serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains, wren, wrens|

Had it not been for my keen eyesight and a little bit of movement in a serviceberry shrub I would have missed out on taking nesting House Wren photos yesterday.

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Male Black-chinned Hummingbird In The Wasatch Mountains

By Mia McPherson|2021-06-21T05:00:14-05:00June 21st, 2021|Categories: Birds, Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, Archilochus alexandri, Black-chinned Hummingbird, canyon, hummingbird, hummingbirds, male, mountains, perched, riparian habitat, spring, willows|

Last week I had a male Black-chinned Hummingbird perched on top of a willow in my viewfinder for a few seconds while high in the Wasatch Mountains.

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Spotted Sandpiper Foraging In White Water Crowfoot

By Mia McPherson|2022-06-28T04:49:30-05:00June 20th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildflowers|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, aquatic wildflower, canyon, Common Water-Crowfoot, creek, foraging, mountains, native, prey, Ranunculus aquatilis, sandpiper, sandpipers, Spotted Sandpiper, spring, water, White Water Buttercup, White Water-crowfoot, wildflower|

Two days ago I photographed an adult Spotted Sandpiper foraging in Common Water-Crowfoot in a creek in the Wasatch Mountains.

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What Do These Grasses Going To Seed Have To Do With A Lazuli Bunting?

By Mia McPherson|2021-06-19T06:16:18-05:00June 19th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Lazuli Buntings, Morgan County, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, bunting, buntings, canyon, close up, creek, creek side, creekside, eating, going to seed, grass, grass seed, grasses, Lazuli Bunting, male, mountains, Passerina amoena, riparian habitat, seed|

Yesterday while I was up in the Wasatch Mountains looking for birds I also noticed some grasses going to seed and took photos of them.

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Male Mountain Bluebird Perched On Mullein

By Mia McPherson|2024-03-29T09:10:15-05:00June 18th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Mountain Bluebirds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, bluebird, bluebirds, canyon, Common Mullein, male, Mountain Bluebird, mountains, mullein, perched, Sialia currucoides, spring, Verbascum thapsus|

I haven't had many bluebirds in my viewfinder this spring so when this adult male Mountain Bluebird perched on mullein showed up last week I was happy to photograph it.

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Baby Uinta Ground Squirrel Photos

By Mia McPherson|2021-06-17T05:04:23-05:00June 17th, 2021|Categories: Summit County, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: alert, baby, canyon, curious, eating, grass, grasses, ground squirrel, ground squirrels, immature, mountains, spring, squirrel, squirrels, standing, Summit County, Uinta Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus armatus, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, young|

Last week I was able to take a nice long series of baby Uinta Ground Squirrel photos high in the Wasatch Mountains.

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Vesper Sparrow Looking Up At The Sky

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-07T10:41:32-06:00June 13th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Utah, Vesper Sparrows, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, fence post, mountains, perched, Poocetes gramineus, sagebrush steppe, sparrow, sparrows, spring, Vesper Sparrow, wooden post|

Friday morning I found this Vesper Sparrow perched on an old fence post next to a dusty road with another sparrow singing from the top of a sage about 100 feet away.

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Song Sparrow Eating A Snail

By Mia McPherson|2021-06-12T05:45:38-05:00June 12th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Morgan County, Song Sparrows, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, bill, canyon, creek, eating, Escargot, foraging, grasses, insert, Melospiza melodia, mountains, riparian habitat, snail, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, spring, stones, water|

Photographing a Song Sparrow eating a snail yesterday morning as it foraged in a creek in the Wasatch Mountains was a unique experience for me.

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Female Brown-headed Cowbird And Willow Catkins

By Mia McPherson|2024-04-19T04:34:03-05:00June 9th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, East Canyon, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, brood parasites, Brown-headed Cowbird, canyon, catkins, cowbird, cowbirds, female, interspecific brood parasites, Molothrus ater, mountains, perched, pussywillows, riparian habitat, spring, willow, willows|

Late last month I photographed this female Brown-headed Cowbird surrounded by willow catkins in East Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains.

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Spring Female Black-chinned Hummingbird Photos

By Mia McPherson|2021-06-07T04:58:33-05:00June 7th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, Archilochus alexandri, Black Twin Berry, Black twinberry honeysuckle, Black-chinned Hummingbird, canyon, feeding, female, honeysuckle, honeysuckles, hovering, hummingbird, hummingbirds, Lonicera involucrata, mountains, nectaring, resting, riparian habitat, spring, willows|

I took my first Black-chinned Hummingbird of the year photos in the middle of May but it wasn't until the end of the month that I took some that I liked.

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Male Belted Kingfisher Photos

By Mia McPherson|2021-06-05T06:09:36-05:00June 5th, 2021|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, Belted Kingfisher, branch, canyon, creek, favored, fish, kingfisher, kingfishers, male, Megaceryle alcyon, metal post, mountains, perch, perched, prey, spring, yellow wildflowers|

Today I am sharing four male Belted Kingfisher photos that I have taken this spring in the Wasatch Mountains starting with one that I took yesterday morning.

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Great Blue Heron and Mountain Goldenbanner

By Mia McPherson|2021-06-02T04:50:47-05:00June 2nd, 2021|Categories: Birds, Great Blue Herons, Morgan County, Small in the frame, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildflowers|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, blooming, blooms, canyon, Filamentous algae, flowering, grasses, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, Mountain Goldenbanner, mountain meadow, Mountain Thermopsis, mountains, pond, spring, Thermopsis montana, wading birds, water, wildflowers, willows, yellow wildflowers|

Yesterday I wrote about a Golden Eagle in the Wasatch Mountains. Today I am writing about "golden" again. Blooming Mountain Goldenbanner and a Great Blue Heron.

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Adult Golden Eagle In Flight In The Wasatch Mountains

By Mia McPherson|2023-11-12T08:08:38-06:00June 1st, 2021|Categories: Birds, Golden Eagles, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, Aquila chrysaetos, birds of prey, canyon, eagle, eagles, flight, flying, Golden Eagle, mountains, raptor, spring|

The last time I was in the Wasatch Mountains I had a brief window of opportunity to photograph an adult Golden Eagle in flight.

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Recent Birds I’ve Found In The West Desert

By Mia McPherson|2024-02-26T10:14:55-06:00May 31st, 2021|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Lazuli Buntings, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, Warbling Vireos, West Desert, Western Kingbirds|Tags: adult, barbed wire, basking, branch, bunting, buntings, Buteos, canyon, fence, fence post, foothills, foraging, forest, hawk, hawks, House Wren, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, kingbird, kingbirds, Lazuli Bunting, male, mixed deciduous conifer forest, morning, mountains, Passerina amoena, perched, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk, sky, sky island mountains, spring, sun, Troglodytes aedon, Tyrannus verticalis, tyrant flycatchers, Utah Juniper, vireo, Vireo gilvus, vireos, Warbling Vireo, warmth, Western Kingbird, wild rose, wooden post, wren, wrens|

Last week I made two trips out to the West Desert and today I am sharing a medley of recent birds that I found while I was out there.

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Female Black-chinned Hummingbird And A Knothole

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-28T05:24:26-05:00May 28th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, Archilochus alexandri, behavior, Black-chinned Hummingbird, canyon, female, flight, flying, forest, hummingbird, knothole, mountains, sky island mountains, spring, tree, trees|

Yesterday while out in the sky island mountains of the West Desert I spotted a female Black-chinned Hummingbird repeatedly checking out a knothole in a tree.

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Violet-green Swallow Photos

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-27T04:56:39-05:00May 27th, 2021|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: adult, alpine forest, branch, branches, canyon, female, flight, flying, forest, guarding, male, mountains, nesting cavity, scuffling, sky, sky island mountains, spring, swallow, swallows, Tachycineta thalassina, Tooele County, tree, trees, tussling, Utah, Violet-green Swallow, west desert|

Yesterday I was able to take the Violet-green Swallow photos that I have been dreaming of since I first moved to Utah in 2009.

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Spring Male American Goldfinch

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-26T06:15:47-05:00May 26th, 2021|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Morgan County, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, American Goldfinch, blooming, blooms, branches, breeding plumage, canyon, Common Dandelion, Dandelion, dandelions, finch, finches, male, mountains, perched, Spinus tristis, Taraxacum officinale, wildflowers, willows, yellow wildflowers|

Yesterday I photographed this male American Goldfinch and thought about how he is as bright as the dandelions that are blooming now in the mountains.

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Resting Willow Flycatcher

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-25T04:56:10-05:00May 25th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Willow Flycatchers|Tags: adult, branch, canyon, Empidonax traillii, Empids, flycatcher, flycatchers, forest, mountains, perched, resting, riparian habitat, spring, willow, Willow Flycatcher|

The last time I was up in the Wasatch Mountains I heard several "FITZ-bew" calls but didn't see a single Willow Flycatcher out in the open.

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Spring Female Cassin’s Finch

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-21T06:23:24-05:00May 21st, 2021|Categories: Birds, Cassin's Finches, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, alpine creek, branches, canyon, Cassin's Finch, creek, creekside, female, finch, finches, Haemorhous cassinii, mountains, paying attention, sky island mountains, spring, willows|

When this female Cassin's Finch landed next to a creek two days ago in the West Desert I was happy to take her photo.

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Male Belted Kingfisher With His Catch Of The Day

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-16T05:15:36-05:00May 16th, 2021|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, Belted Kingfisher, bill, branch, canyon, catch, catch of the day, creek, fingerling, fish, kingfisher, kingfishers, male, Megaceryle alcyon, mountains, prey, swallowing, trout|

Three days ago I watched as a male Belted Kingfisher caught a small fish, landed on a branch and swallowed his catch of the day high in the Wasatch Mountains.

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Bluebells, Currants, Warblers And A Duck

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-15T05:59:28-05:00May 15th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Mallards, Morgan County, Shrubs, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildflowers, Yellow Warblers|Tags: adult, alpine, Anas platyrhynchos, bath, bathing, beaver damage, bloom, blooming, blossoms, blue wildflowers, branch, branches, canyon, creek, creekside, currant, currants, dabbling ducks, drake, duck, ducks, female, flowering, flowers, fork, Golden Currant, male, Mallard, mallards, Mertensia ciliata, Mountain Bluebells, mountains, perched, pink wildflowers, purple wildflowers, Ribes aureum, riparian zone, Setophaga petechia, shrub, singing, spring, stump, tapestry, warbler, warblers, water, water droplets, wildflowers, Yellow Warbler, yellow wildflowers|

I spent my morning up in the Wasatch Mountains yesterday and came home with photos of bluebells, currants, warblers, and a duck.

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Spring Green-tailed Towhee Photo

By Mia McPherson|2022-07-10T08:21:12-05:00May 14th, 2021|Categories: Green-tailed Towhees, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, Green-tailed Towhee, mew call, mountains, perched, Pipilo chlorurus, raised crown, sparrow, sparrows, towhee, towhees|

Two days ago I was able to take my first of season Green-tailed Towhee photos in Morgan County high in the Wasatch Mountains.

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Springtime Vesper Sparrow Images

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-07T10:34:39-06:00May 13th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Utah, Vesper Sparrows, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, back view, canyon, close up, grass, grasses, leaning, metal post, mountains, perched, Poocetes gramineus, post, rock, sage, sagebrush, shoulder, singing, sparrow, sparrows, spring, Summit County, Utah, Vesper Sparrow, Wasatch Mountains|

Yesterday morning I heard my first Vesper Sparrow of spring singing high in the Wasatch Mountains. I was enchanted and thrilled at the same time.

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Coyote Stalking Adult Sandhill Cranes

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-12T05:52:46-05:00May 12th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Coyotes, Sandhill Cranes, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, Antigone canadensis, Canis latrans, canyon, Coyote, coyotes, crane, cranes, flight, flying, grasses, lifted off, mountains, sagebrush, Sandhill Cranes, stalking, took flight, walking, willows|

Yesterday morning while up in the Wasatch Mountains I heard Sandhill Cranes calling repeatedly and when I spotted them I also found a Coyote near the cranes.

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It’s Time For Hummingbird Photography

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-11T05:43:48-05:00May 11th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, branch, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, canyon, favorite perch, hummingbird, hummingbirds, male, mountains, perched, Selasphorus platycercus, stretching, wings|

The wildflowers and flowering shrubs are beginning to bloom in the mountains and canyons and for me that means it's time for hummingbird photography.

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Male Belted Kingfisher And Pussy Willows

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-10T05:38:23-05:00May 10th, 2021|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, alert, background, Belted Kingfisher, branch, canyon, catkins, creek, kingfisher, kingfishers, male, Megaceryle alcyon, mountains, perched, pussy willows, spring, well weathered, willows|

Saturday morning I was delighted when a male Belted Kingfisher flew in and perched in front of pussy willow catkins high in the Wasatch Mountains.

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Spring Yellow Warbler Joy

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-09T06:13:43-05:00May 9th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: adult, branch, canyon, male, mountains, perched, Setophaga petechia, spring, warbler, warblers, willow, willows, wood-warblers, Yellow Warbler|

I took my first of year Yellow Warbler photos in the Wasatch Mountains when I drove up into the mountains on Friday morning.

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