crest – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

American Oystercatcher Images From Florida

By Mia McPherson|August 29th, 2025|Categories: American Oystercatchers, Birds, Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge, Egmont Key State Park, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, American Oystercatcher, beach, calling, chick, coastal island, crest, feathers, feeding, flight, fluffing, flying, Gulf Coast, Gulf of Mexico, Himantopus mexicanus, immature, juvenile, landing, mated, mates, pair, preening, prey, probing, sand, sand bar, swallowing, water, waves, worm, wrack line, young|

I am sharing a group of American Oystercatcher photos today that were taken at Fort De Soto County Park and Egmont Key from when I lived in Florida.

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Adult Cedar Waxwing In Morgan County

By Mia McPherson|July 29th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Cedar Waxwings, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, Bombycilla cedrorum, canyon, Cedar Waxwing, crest, Morgan County, mountains, perched, raised, riparian habitat, summer, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, waxwing, waxwings, willow ticket, willows|

I was happy to photograph an adult Cedar Waxwing perched on top of a willow thicket in Morgan County high in the Wasatch Mountains four days ago.

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Male Belted Kingfisher in Winter at Farmington Bay WMA

By Mia McPherson|September 16th, 2017|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: adult, Belted Kingfisher, crest, fish, kingfisher, kingfishers, male, marsh, Megaceryle alcyon, perched, post, prey, snow, wetlands, winter, wooden post|

Belted Kingfishers are year round residents in northern Utah but my best opportunities to photograph them at Farmington Bay WMA are during the winter.

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Royal Terns Courting in Florida

By Mia McPherson|April 25th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Royal Terns|Tags: adult, beach, breeding grounds, call, circling, courting, courtship behavior, crest, female, fish, gift, male, parade, prey, Royal Tern, sand, tern, terns, Thalasseus maximus|

The "Circling" courtship behavior of Royal Terns was one that I found interesting because as the male circled the female she moved too and kept her sides facing him.

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Snowy Egrets of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

By Mia McPherson|February 12th, 2016|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Davis County, Snowy Egrets, Utah|Tags: adult, crest, egret, egrets, Egretta thula, marsh, plumes, river, rock, scratching, Snowy Egret, summer, wading birds, water, wetlands|

The Snowy Egrets of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge never fail to delight me with their bright white plumage, golden feet, bright yellow lores and feathery plumes.

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Common and Red-breasted Mergansers

By Mia McPherson|March 20th, 2011|Categories: Bird ID, Common Mergansers, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Red-breasted Mergansers, Utah|Tags: bill, bird ID, Common Merganser, crest, crests, diving ducks, duck, ducks, eye color, merganser, mergansers, Mergus merganser, Mergus serrator, Red-breasted Merganser, serrated bill, water|

Mergansers are considered "diving ducks" and one of the things the three species of mergansers found in North America all have in common are their serrated bills.

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