hackberry – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Lark Sparrow On A Hackberry

By Mia McPherson|June 7th, 2025|Categories: Birds, Comanche County, Lark Sparrows, Oklahoma, Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge|Tags: adult, Chondestes grammacus, hackberries, hackberry, Lark Sparrow, mixed-grass prairie, perched, sparrow, sparrows, spring|

Today I’m sharing another Lark Sparrow photo I took last month while visiting Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in south-central Oklahoma.

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My Solitaire Common Name Change Recommendation

By Mia McPherson|November 20th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Tooele County, Townsend's Solitaires, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, autumn, berries, berry, Box Elder County, Celtis reticulata, desert, fall, Fragrant Sumac, hackberries, hackberry, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, leaves, Myadestes townsendi, Netleaf Hackberry, perched, ranchlands, Rhus aromatica, roadside, shrub, sky, snow, snowy, solitaire, solitaires, sumac, thrush, thrushes, Townsend's Solitaire, tree, Utah, Utah Juniper|

In 2024, the common name for Townsend's Solitaire will change, along with many other bird names. My recommendation would be to rename it the Juniper Solitaire.

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Desert Red-tailed Hawk Photos

By Mia McPherson|October 28th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: adult, Artemisia tridentata, autumn, Big Sagebrush, birds of prey, Box Elder County, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteos, Celtis reticulata, cliff, cliff face, dark morph, desert, dwelling, fall, hackberries, hackberry, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, leaves, lichen, lift off, lifting off, metal post, Netleaf Hackberry, perched, preparing, raptors, red tail, Red-tailed Hawk, rocks, sage, sagebrush, sky, stony eyed, take off, taking off, Utah, young|

While I was up in far northern Utah looking for birds last week, I took quite a few Red-tailed Hawk photos. I shared one image a few days ago and here are a few more.

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What The Changes In The 2021 AOS Supplement Meant For Me

By Mia McPherson|June 26th, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Double-crested Cormorants, Neotropic Cormorants, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: 2021 AOS Supplement, adult, autumn, Celtis reticulata, cormorant, cormorants, Corthylio calendula, desert, Double-crested Cormorant, fall, hackberry, kinglet, kinglets, landing, marsh, migration, Nannopterum auritus, Nannopterum brasilianum, Neotropic Cormorant, Netleaf Hackberry, perched, pond, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, shrub, spring, stump, urban, water, wetlands, winter|

The 2021 AOS Supplement did mean that I had a bit of work to do on my site after I read that it had been published on the ABA website last night.

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Calls And Songs Of Townsend’s Solitaires

By Mia McPherson|October 2nd, 2020|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Summit County, Townsend's Solitaires, Utah, Video, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, autumn, calls, canyon, Celtis reticulata, fall, hackberries, hackberry, hearing, immature, juvenile, mountains, Myadestes townsendi, Netleaf Hackberry, perched, solitaire, solitaires, songs, thrush, thrushes, Townsend's Solitaire, Utah, video, videos, young|

I know where in the mountains to find Townsend’s Solitaires by seeing them, hearing them and by knowing their preferred habitat.

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White-crowned Sparrow Adult Perched In A Hackberry Tree

By Mia McPherson|October 23rd, 2019|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, White-crowned Sparrows|Tags: adult, autumn, blooming, blue sky, fruits, hackberry, Interior West, Mountain White-crowned Sparrow, perched, rabbitbrush, sparrow, sparrows, tree, White-crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys, Zonotrichia leucophrys oriantha|

I photographed this adult White-crowned Sparrow about two weeks ago in northern Utah while it perched on a hackberry tree on a hill with blooming rabbitbrush in the background.

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Photographing Autumn Townsend’s Solitaires

By Mia McPherson|October 9th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Townsend's Solitaires, Utah|Tags: alert, autumn, blue sky, branch, Celtis reticulata, desert, fall, fall migration, hackberry, lichen, Myadestes townsendi, Netleaf Hackberry, perched, photograph, photographing, rocks, solitaire, solitaires, thrush, thrushes, Townsend's Solitaire, tree|

Last Friday as I looked for birds in a few West Desert canyons I was serenaded by the songs and calls of Townsend's Solitaires and while I loved hearing them it was frustrating because they were either too far away or hidden from my view.

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Autumn Audubon’s Yellow-rumped Warbler

By Mia McPherson|November 13th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, Wood-Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers|Tags: adult, Audubon's, autumn, Celtis reticulata, desert, fall, hackberry, migration, Netleaf Hackberry, perched, road, Setophaga coronata, split, warbler, warblers, wood-warblers, Yellow-rumped Warbler|

I seem to have missed out on seeing lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers this year during their fall migration, I saw a few back in late September and early October but haven't seen any for some time.

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Photographing a Dynasty of Ruby-crowned Kinglets

By Mia McPherson|October 8th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, bright, Celtis reticulata, colors, Corthylio calendula, crowns, dynasty, fall colors, Fragrant Sumac, hackberry, kinglet, kinglets, lift off, male, Netleaf Hackberry, perched, photograph, photographing, Rhus aromatica, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, sumac, sunny|

Yesterday I saw so many Ruby-crowned Kinglets in northern Utah that it was impossible for me to keep up with them, I am certain I missed some excellent images because of that.

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Autumn Swainson’s Hawk

By Mia McPherson|September 26th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Swainson's Hawks, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Buteo swainsoni, hackberry, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, intermediate morph, Netleaf Hackberry, perched, raptors, Swainson's Hawk, tree|

Mid-morning I found a perched intermediate morph Swainson's Hawk in Box Elder County and was delighted when it didn't fly off immediately.

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