side view – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Red Fox Kit Photos

By Mia McPherson|2024-03-14T05:00:19-05:00March 14th, 2024|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Red Foxes, Utah|Tags: baby, close up, curious, cute, fox, foxes, grass, immature, kit, kits, mammals, marsh, portrait, Red Fox, red fox kits, resting, roadside, scratching, side view, spring, standing, stretching, Vulpes vulpes, wetlands, young|

Bad weather and bad timing have kept me out of the field for a bit. Today, I am sharing some cute Red Fox kit photos I took almost a year after I moved to Utah.

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Song Sparrow Serenade – Happy Birthday Chris!

By Mia McPherson|2024-02-25T03:16:30-06:00February 24th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: adult, marsh, Melospiza melodia, morning, perched, perky, phragmites, phrags, side view, sing, singing, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, starting, wetlands, winter|

I was serenaded by this Song Sparrow yesterday on the rut-filled road at Farmington Bay WMA. It might seem odd, but this bird reminded me of my youngest son.

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Ten Greater White-fronted Goose Photos

By Mia McPherson|2024-02-09T03:42:01-06:00February 4th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Greater White-fronted Geese, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Anser albifrons, background, close up, eating, feeding, frontal, geese, goose, grass, Greater White-fronted Goose, Mallard, pond, side view, Specklebellies, stump, up close, urban, vagrant, vegetation, water, waterfowl, winter|

I was out running errands yesterday when I found a Greater White-fronted Goose. I drove home to grab my gear so I could photograph this 'specklebelly' goose.

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Western Meadowlark Amusement

By Mia McPherson|2023-11-02T03:28:19-05:00November 2nd, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, Western Meadowlarks|Tags: autumn, back view, fall, feathers, flipped, frontal view, head on, head turn, meadowlark, meadowlarks, old lake bottom, perched, profile view, puffed up, ranchlands, roadside, scrunched down, side view, sideways, sky, squatting, Sturnella neglecta, Western Meadowlark, wooden post|

Photographing this Western Meadowlark on Monday on my way back to I-15 from Bear River MBR was so much fun for me that it probably ought to be illegal.

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Focusing On A Gray Ghost – AKA Male Northern Harrier

By Mia McPherson|2021-04-10T03:51:37-05:00December 9th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, flight, flying, Gray Ghost, harrier, harriers, Hawks of Utah, hunting, male, marsh, Northern Harrier, on the wing, raptors, side view, vegetation, winter|

Today I am focusing on an adult male Northern Harrier that I had in my viewfinder for a few seconds yesterday that was on the wing over the marsh.

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Sub-adult Dark Morph Swainson’s Hawk Photos

By Mia McPherson|2021-04-15T03:45:01-05:00May 1st, 2018|Categories: Birds, Swainson's Hawks|Tags: Buteo swainsoni, Buteos, dark morph, fence post, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, perched, raptors, rousing, side view, sub-adult, Swainson's Hawk|

All of the Swainson's I photographed the first day of May last year were adults except for what I believe was a sub-adult dark morph Swainson's Hawk and I thought that hawk was a real beauty.

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Photographing Short-eared Owl Fledglings in Northern Utah

By Mia McPherson|2021-04-04T12:41:12-05:00February 25th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Short-eared Owls, Utah|Tags: Asio flammeus, birds of prey, chick, fledgling, fly, grasses, head on, owl, owls, Owls of Utah, photograph, photographing, portrait, road, Short-eared Owl, side view, tumbleweed|

Both of the fledgling Short-eared Owls I took photos of that morning appeared very relaxed while I photographed them, they looked around, preened, yawned, stretched and even rested with their eyes closed.

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Song Sparrow In Box Elder County, Utah – Bird Sounds of Spring

By Mia McPherson|2024-03-24T13:56:59-05:00April 2nd, 2017|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: abundant, back view, barb wire, barbed wire, calls, Melospiza melodia, perched, side view, Song Sparrow, songs, sounds, sparrow, sparrows, spring, subspecies, variable|

I was trying to photograph some Red-tailed Hawks when I heard a song close to me and realized it was a Song Sparrow before I even located the bird and put my lens on it.

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Loggerhead Shrike and its prey

By Mia McPherson|2021-02-27T07:05:11-06:00May 6th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Loggerhead Shrikes, Utah|Tags: adult, bill, bird photography, hunched down, Lanius ludovicianus, Loggerhead Shrike, open, perched, preened, prey, rabbitbrush, shrike, shrikes, side view, vole|

A few weeks ago I was able to photograph a Loggerhead Shrike near the marina on Antelope Island State Park, Utah. It was an interesting experience for several reasons.

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Rough-legged Hawk Preening

By Mia McPherson|2022-10-20T16:31:13-05:00November 30th, 2011|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: Antelope Island State Park, birds of prey, buteo, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, comical, feet, funny, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, light morph, perched, post, preening, raptors, regal, Rough-legged Hawk, side view, wooden post|

Last week though I had the opportunity to photograph a very cooperative Rough-legged Hawk preening.

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