close – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Barred Owl Portraits In Early Morning Light

By Mia McPherson|2024-04-14T02:49:59-05:00April 14th, 2024|Categories: Barred Owls, Birds, Oklahoma, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge|Tags: adult, Barred Owl, birds of prey, bottomland hardwood forests, bright morning light, close, close up, early morning, forest, owl, owls, portrait, raptors, refuge, spring, Strix varia|

Two days ago I was thrilled to take early morning Barred Owl portraits at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in east central Oklahoma with my friend Steve Creek.

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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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Two American Coot Portraits

By Mia McPherson|2023-09-08T02:44:08-05:00January 24th, 2023|Categories: American Coots, Birds, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, American Coot, background, close, close up, coot, coots, Fulica americana, pond, portrait, snow, snowy, urban, winter|

I like these two American Coot portraits that I took at my local pond two years ago. The snowy background on one and the gray in the other set off the coots.

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Female Hooded Merganser Lifting Off From The Bear River

By Mia McPherson|2021-12-10T05:31:06-06:00December 10th, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Hooded Mergansers, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, Bear River, close, diving ducks, duck, ducks, fall, female, Glover Pond, hen, Hooded Merganser, ice, lift off, lifting off, Lophodytes cucullatus, merganser, mergansers, pond, river, running, take off, taking off, water, waterfowl, wetlands|

I spotted a single female Hooded Merganser on the Bear River two days ago and photographed her as she ran on top of the water to lift off.

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Barn Swallows – Soon To Arrive In Northern Utah

By Mia McPherson|2021-04-14T16:35:55-05:00March 14th, 2020|Categories: Barn Swallows, Birds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, Barn Swallow, close, easiest to identify, eBird, Hirundo rustica, late spring, metal post, migrating, migration, most recognizable, perched, post, preening, swallow, swallows|

Perhaps the next weather front coming from the south will push these Barn Swallows into northern Utah, I know I will be watching for their arrival.

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Adult Male Yellow Warbler Foraging In Catkins

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-08T17:35:00-05:00June 7th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: adult, canyon, catkins, close, foraging, male, mountains, Setophaga petechia, spring, warbler, warblers, willow, Yellow Warbler|

Before too long I expect to hear the "peep-peep" calls of Yellow Warbler chicks begging to be fed by their parents but in the meantime I am having a blast photographing the adults that I have been seeing.

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Photographing Spring Yellow-rumped Warblers In The Wasatch Mountains

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-09T15:04:49-05:00May 28th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Morgan County, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow-rumped Warblers|Tags: branch, butter butt, canyon, close, male, mountains, perched, photograph, photographing, rock, Setophaga coronata, spring, stump, warbler, warblers, wood-warblers, yellow rump, Yellow-rumped Warbler|

Three days ago I photographed Yellow-rumped Warblers in the Wasatch Mountains, these warblers are a challenge because they move so quickly but they are always fun to have in my viewfinder.

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Christmas Goose

By Mia McPherson|2024-02-13T18:11:10-06:00December 25th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Cackling Geese, Canada Geese, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Branta canadensis, Cackling Goose, Canada Goose, Christmas, close, geese, goose, Lesser Canada Goose, pond, portrait, urban, water, winter|

I'm happy that I was able to photograph birds on Christmas Eve in decent light and that somehow to me this is more than "just" a goose, it is a Christmas Goose and who am I to look a gift goose in the bill?

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Barn Swallow Nesting Season Is Happening Now In Northern Utah

By Mia McPherson|2021-03-12T04:18:23-06:00May 4th, 2018|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Barn Swallows, Birds, Davis County, Utah|Tags: adult, Barn Swallow, beak, biting gnats, close, Hirundo rustica, landing, mud, nesting behavior, nesting material, nesting season, no-see-ums, puddle, spring, swallow, swallows, wings up|

Barn Swallows are like tiny, feathered brick masons. One pellet by itself is nothing but combined pellets form the nests these birds use to raise their young in.

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Turd Birds; errr… I mean Sage Thrashers

By Mia McPherson|2022-03-13T09:06:35-05:00October 22nd, 2011|Categories: Davis County, Frustrations in bird photography, Humor, Sage Thrashers, Shrubs, Utah, Wildflowers|Tags: adult, blooming, brush, close, flight, frustrations in bird photography, hidden, humor, lift off, Oreoscoptes montanus, rabbitbrush, Sage Thrasher, thrasher, thrashers, turd birds|

I can't acquire focus on the Lunatic Sage Thrashers because they don't ever stay still long enough, they race around willy-nilly until dizziness forces me to stop watching them. Think Ricochet Rabbit.

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