mountain valley – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Milestone: Ten Years Of Daily Stories From The Field

By Mia McPherson|May 2nd, 2025|Categories: Birds, Common Ravens, Milestone, Mountain Bluebells, Short-eared Owls|Tags: Asio flammeus, birds of prey, blooming, blue wildflowers, Bluebells, chick, chicks, Common Raven, conifer, Corvus corax, desert, flowering, immature, juvenile, Mertensia ciliata, milestone, Mountain Bluebells, mountain valley, nest, owl, owlet, owls, ranchlands, raven, ravens, relaxing, roadside, Short-eared Owl, spring, young|

Today marks ten years, which is 3,653 days, of sharing the authentic stories behind my images every single day without missing a beat.

21

Kamas Valley Killdeer

By Mia McPherson|August 23rd, 2023|Categories: Birds, Kamas Valley, Killdeer, Summit County, Utah|Tags: adult, Charadrius vociferus, clover, cow poop, crap, grass, grasses, Killdeer, killdeers, manure, mountain valley, pasture, pink clover, pink clovers, plover, plovers, ranchlands, shorebirds, summer, valley, wet meadow|

Last week, in the Kamas Valley in Summit County, Utah I was pleased to take Killdeer photos in a wet meadow with pink clovers and piles of cow manure.

3

Trumpeter Swan Landing In The Centennial Valley Of Montana

By Mia McPherson|May 20th, 2023|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Montana, Trumpeter Swans|Tags: adult, Cygnus buccinator, fence, grass, grasses, landing, mountain valley, mountains, spring, swan, swans, Trumpeter Swan, valley, water, waterfowl, willows|

I came across this Trumpeter Swan photo taken in Montana in my archives a few days ago and wondered why I had never processed the file or shared it before.

4

Bank Swallow Over the Red Rock River

By Mia McPherson|July 18th, 2017|Categories: Bank Swallows, Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Montana|Tags: adult, Bank Swallow, barbed wire, fence, mountain valley, perched, Red Rock River, Riparia riparia, river, smallest swallows, summer, swallow, swallows|

While I looked around four days ago I saw this Bank Swallow resting on a fence that hangs over the Red Rock River and could not resist photographing it with the blue water below and behind it.

5

Five Different Centennial Valley Red-tailed Hawks

By Mia McPherson|July 11th, 2017|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Montana, Red-tailed Hawks|Tags: adult, birds of prey, bleached, Buteo jamaicensis, fence, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Montana, juvenile, molt, mountain valley, perched, post, red tail, red taliled, Red-tailed Hawk, summer, wire|

Red-tailed Hawks were my most photographed species yesterday morning in the Centennial Valley of southwestern Montana and I had fun with them.

12

Greater Sage-Grouse among the Lupine

By Mia McPherson|October 14th, 2014|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Greater Sage-Grouse, Montana|Tags: adult, Centrocercus urophasianus, conservation, female, Greater Sage-Grouse, grouse, hen, lupine, lupines, mountain valley, sage-grouse, summer, upland terrestrial birds, wildflowers|

If hope is the thing with feathers then I want to heap as much hope as I can find into the future of Greater Sage-Grouse.

9

Foraging Solitary Sandpiper in Montana

By Mia McPherson|August 3rd, 2014|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Montana, Solitary Sandpipers|Tags: adult, defensive, farm pond, foraging, mountain valley, pond, sandpiper, sandpipers, shorebirds, Solitary Sandpiper, summer, Tringa solitaria, water|

On my recent trip to Idaho and Montana I was delighted to photograph a foraging Solitary Sandpiper in a farm pond in Beaverhead County, MT.

7

Bald Eagle lift off

By Mia McPherson|June 3rd, 2014|Categories: Bald Eagles, Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Montana|Tags: adult, Bald Eagle, Centennial Valley, conifers, eagle, eagles, flight, flying, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, lift off, mountain valley, raptors, spring, take off|

While in southwestern Montana last week I did see several Bald Eagles and this adult was most obliging as it perched on a conifer in the light of the rising sun.

6

Ragged Red-tailed Hawk In Molt

By Mia McPherson|August 3rd, 2013|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Montana, Red-tailed Hawks|Tags: adult, bird photography, birds of prey, Buteo jamaicensis, flight, flying, hawks, molt, molting, mountain valley, predictable molt, primaries, ragged, raptors, red tail, red-tailed, Red-tailed Hawk, summer, worn|

Many of the adult Red-tailed Hawks that I saw and photographed in southwestern Montana on my last trip had worn feathers and were molting.

15

If Only I Could Fly Like This Red-tailed Hawk!

By Mia McPherson|July 21st, 2013|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Montana, Red-tailed Hawks|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteos, flight, fly, flying, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Montana, lift off, male, mountain valley, perched, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk, spring|

I readily admit that sometimes I daydream about being able to fly like a bird and quite often the bird I wish I were is a Red-tailed Hawk.

13

Red-tailed Hawks In Montana Soaking Up The Morning Light

By Mia McPherson|June 10th, 2013|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Red-tailed Hawks|Tags: adults, birds of prey, Buteo jamaicensis, female, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Montana, male, mated pair, mates, mountain valley, pair, perched, raptors, red tail hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, spring, tree, valley|

I photographed this mated pair of Red-tailed Hawks last week in western Montana as they soaked up the warming rays of the morning sun.

18