spring – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

I’m Lichen This Say’s Phoebe

By Mia McPherson|April 20th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Say's Phoebes, Utah|Tags: adult, cliff, cliff face, desert, lichen, lichens, phoebe, phoebes, Say's Phoebe, Sayornis saya, spring|

I photographed this Say's Phoebe yesterday morning way up in northern Utah. There were actually two of the phoebes in the area but this one came in the closest.

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Fishing Line Is A Dangerous Nesting Material

By Mia McPherson|April 19th, 2023|Categories: American Robins, Birds, Fishing Line Dangers, Nesting Birds, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, American Robin, dangerous, fishing line, fishing weight, grass, grasses, nesting materials, nesting season, park, pond, robin, robins, spring, Turdus migratorius, urban|

All across the country it is nesting season for many North American birds. For some nesting birds it is also a very dangerous time because of fishing line.

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Dark And Moody Common Loon Photos

By Mia McPherson|April 18th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Common Loons, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, breeding plumage, Common Loon, Gavia immer, loon, loons, low light, magic, migration, mystery, natural, park, pond, shadowed, shadows, spotlight, spring, water, waterbirds|

The dark and moody nature of the Common Loon has made this bird species a popular subject of mythology and folklore.

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California Quail Male On The Run

By Mia McPherson|April 17th, 2023|Categories: Birds, California Quails, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, California Quail, Callipepla californica, grasses, introduced, male, quail, run, running, spring, urban|

It was windy yesterday morning so I went for a walk at a local park. Before I even turned off my Jeep I could hear several California Quail calling.

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Spring American White Pelican Photos

By Mia McPherson|April 16th, 2023|Categories: American White Pelicans, Birds, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, American White Pelican, breeding plumage, park, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, pelican, pelicans, pond, Salt Lake County, spring, urban, Utah, water|

This collection of American White Pelican photos were taken starting the 6th of April. Some of the images show the snow from a snowstorm earlier this month.

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Crazy About Common Loons

By Mia McPherson|April 15th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Common Loons, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, breeding plumage, calling, chased, close up, Common Loon, defensive posture, dripping, fighting, fishing lure, Gavia immer, loon, loons, passing, pond, portrait, rushing, Salt Lake County, spring, spring migration, urban, Utah, Vulture Posture, water, waterbirds|

Yesterday morning I didn't go out looking for Common Loons. But I found two and they were fighting, calling, preening and getting up close and personal with me.

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Landing Double-crested Cormorant Reflections

By Mia McPherson|April 14th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Double-crested Cormorants, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, colorful, cormorant, cormorants, Double-crested Cormorant, funky, landing, Nannopterum auritus, park, pond, reflections, Salt Lake County, sliding, spring, urban, Utah, water|

Last Sunday, when April and I were photographing birds together, I took images of this adult Double-crested Cormorant landing on funky reflections.

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Leucistic American Coot Photos

By Mia McPherson|April 13th, 2023|Categories: American Coots, Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Leucistic, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, American Coot, back view, coot, coots, dirt, face, foraging, Fulica americana, grackle, grackles, grass, Great-tailed Grackle, leucism, leucistic, male, morning, plumage aberration, preening, profile view, Quiscalus mexicanus, Salt Lake County, spring, staring, swimming, tail, tree trunk, urban, Utah, water|

Over the past four months I wanted closer, better photos of the leucistic American Coot that I found on January 2nd. My patience and persistence paid off.

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City Dwelling Rock Squirrel Surprise

By Mia McPherson|April 11th, 2023|Categories: Rock Squirrels, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, ground squirrel, ground squirrels, mammals, Otospermophilus variegatus, pair, park, Rock Squirrel, spring, squirrel, squirrels, urban|

Two days ago when I was at a local park with my friend and yours, April Olson, I spotted a Rock Squirrel. Then I saw three more nearby and I had to take photos.

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Mix Of Urban Birds Close To Home

By Mia McPherson|April 10th, 2023|Categories: American Robins, Birds, Double-crested Cormorants, Red-winged Blackbirds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Savannah Sparrows, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Utah|Tags: accipiter, Accipiter striatus, Accipiters, adult, Agelaius phoeniceus, American Robin, Aythya americana, basketball backstop, blackbird, blackbirds, branches, cattail, close up, cormorant, cormorants, curb, Double-crested Cormorant, drake, duck, ducks, edge, habitat, hawks, immature, landing, male, Nannopterum auritus, neighborhood, park, Passerculus sandwichensis, perched, pond, portrait, raptors, Red-winged Blackbird, Redhead, redheads, robin, robins, Savannah Sparrow, Sharp-shinned Hawk, sky, small in frame, snow, sparrow, sparrows, splash, splashy, spring, stinkeye, thrush, thrushes, tree, Turdus migratorius, urban, water, waterbirds, waterfowl, young|

This mix of urban birds were taken over a two day period close to home. Birds, no matter where they are, bring me joy, happiness, and even laughter.

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Great-tailed Grackle Photos After a Spring Snowstorm

By Mia McPherson|April 9th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, bill, close up, displaying, grackle, grackles, Great-tailed Grackle, male, mound, park, poking, portrait, Quiscalus mexicanus, Salt Lake County, snow, snowy, spring, trudging, unique, urban, Utah|

Taking Great-tailed Grackle photos after our recent spring snowstorm was fun. I had never seen photos of this species in the snow before I took these.

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Common Loon In Salt Lake County

By Mia McPherson|April 8th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Common Loons, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, breeding plumage, Common Loon, Gavia immer, loon, loons, park, pond, Salt Lake County, spring, urban, Utah, water, waterbirds|

Two days ago I was absolutely, fantastically delighted to spend time photographing a strikingly handsome Common Loon that is almost in breeding plumage.

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Urban Female Northern Flicker

By Mia McPherson|April 7th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Northern Flickers, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Colaptes auratus, female, flicker, flickers, Northern Flicker, park, pond, spring, tree trunk, trunk, urban, woodpecker, woodpeckers|

Yesterday the sun was shining and I went for a walk at my local pond. Among the birds that I photographed I enjoyed this pretty female Northern Flicker.

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Vesper Sparrow Outside My Window

By Mia McPherson|April 6th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Summit County, Utah, Vesper Sparrows, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, desert, mountains, Poocetes gramineus, ranchlands, singing, sparrow, sparrows, spring, Vesper Sparrow, wooden post|

I was quite surprised to find a Vesper Sparrow outside my window yesterday after the prolonged spring snowstorm finally left the Salt Lake Valley and Utah.

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Killdeer In A Spring Snowstorm

By Mia McPherson|April 5th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Killdeer, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: Charadrius vociferus, close up, cloudy, Killdeer, killdeers, low light, parking lot, parking lot stripe, parking space stripe, plover, plovers, portrait, puddle, shorebirds, snow, snowstorm, spring, standing, urban, walking, water|

Yesterday morning, after blowing, shoveling, and scraping about nine to ten inches of snow, I went looking for birds and found a Killdeer in a spring snowstorm.

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Spring Wild Turkey Photos With Snow

By Mia McPherson|April 4th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Salt Lake County, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wild Turkeys|Tags: adult, branches, desert, displaying, female, hen, high key, male, Meleagris gallopavo, mountans, road, sky island mountains, snow, snowstorm, snowy, spring, tom, tree, turkey, turkeys, upland terrestrial birds, urban, Wild Turkey|

Three years ago by this date I was already taking Wild Turkey photos in the canyons of the sky island mountains of the West Desert of Utah.

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Rock Squirrel Tree Topper

By Mia McPherson|April 2nd, 2023|Categories: Rock Squirrels, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, foothills, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, mountains, Otospermophilus variegatus, Rock Squirrel, sky, sky island mountains, spring, squirrel, squirrels, top, Utah Juniper|

Almost three years ago, I photographed this Rock Squirrel perched in top of a juniper in the foothills of some sky island mountains in the West Desert of Utah.

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Turkey Vulture With An Open Bill

By Mia McPherson|April 1st, 2023|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Turkey Vultures, Utah|Tags: adult, Cathartes aura, desert, open bill, perched, post, ranchlands, spring, Turkey Vulture, vulture, vultures, wooden post|

I took this photo of a Turkey Vulture with its bill wide open exactly a year ago today on a warm spring morning in far northern Utah under the bright sun.

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Snow Weary And Needing A Bird Fix

By Mia McPherson|March 31st, 2023|Categories: American Avocets, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Marsh Wrens, Red-winged Blackbirds, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: adult, Agelaius phoeniceus, American Avocet, American Avocets, avocet, avocets, Black-crowned Night Heron, blackbird, blackbirds, breeding plumage, Cistothorus palustris, early morning, flight, flying, heron, herons, Icterids, male, marsh, Marsh Wren, mountains, night heron, night herons, Nycticorax nycticorax, perched, phragmites, phrags, preening, Recurvirostra americana, Red-winged Blackbird, resting, river, shorebirds, singing, sky, spring, wading birds, water, wetlands, wren, wrens, Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, Yellow-headed Blackbird|

More fresh snow on the ground this morning. I am snow weary. What I need is a bird, nature, gone exploring in the wild fix with no real or clear return time.

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Ticked Off Canada Goose Gander

By Mia McPherson|March 28th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Canada Geese, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: Canada Goose, gander, geese, goose, grass, grasses, male, park, snow, spring, ticked off, urban, waterfowl|

Two days ago, after a spring snowstorm, I treated myself to a few minutes of local bird photography, which included this ticked-off Canada Goose gander.

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First of Year Osprey Plus A Spring Snowstorm

By Mia McPherson|March 27th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Ospreys, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, first of year, Fish Hawk, male, Osprey, ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, perched, pole, raptor, sky, snowstorm, spring, urban, urban birds, Utah|

I had something wonderful happen yesterday following a spring snowstorm in Salt Lake City. I found my first of year Osprey close to home perched on a pole.

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World Water Day 2023

By Mia McPherson|March 22nd, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Centennial Valley, Conservation, Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, Glacier County, Glacier National Park, Juab County, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Sawgrass Lake Park, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, American Coots, aspens, Box Elder County, canyon, Centennial Mountains, Centennial Valley, clouds, conifers, coots, creek, Cygnus columbianus, Fish Springs Range, flight, flock, Florida, flying, footbridge, foothills, grass, grasses, hills, ice, immature, Juab County, maple swamp, marsh, mountains, Pinellas County, pond, Promontory Mountains, rapids, reflections, river, rocks, rushing, sage, sagebrush, Sawgrass Lake Park, shadows, shrubs, sky, snow, snow-topped, spring, summer, swamp, swan, swans, trail, trees, Tundra Swan, Utah, valley, water, waterfowl, west desert, wetlands, Wigeon Pond, willows, winter, young|

Today is World Water Day. The theme for World Water Day 2023 is: Accelerate Change. Every human being on this planet is roughly 60% water.

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Mating Greater Sage-Grouse On A Wild Windswept Lek

By Mia McPherson|March 16th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Greater Sage-Grouse, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: adult, Aquarius Plateau, Centrocercus urophasianus, courtship display, female, Greater Sage-Grouse, grouse, lek, male, morning light, plateau, sage-grouse, sagebrush sea, spring, upland terrestrial birds, Utah, Wayne County|

During the breeding season, male Greater Sage-Grouse gather in communal display areas known as leks to perform an elaborate courtship ritual.

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Double-crested Cormorant on the Bear River

By Mia McPherson|March 14th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Double-crested Cormorants, Utah|Tags: adult, Bear River, cormorant, cormorants, Double-crested Cormorant, Nannopterum auritus, reflection, river, spring, swimming, water, waterbirds, wetlands|

I photographed this adult Double-crested Cormorant at the end of March last spring as it swam by me on the Bear River. The color of its eyes was so striking.

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Coyote On A Sunny Spring Morning

By Mia McPherson|March 11th, 2023|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Coyotes, Davis County, Utah|Tags: adult, canids, Canis latrans, Coyote, coyotes, desert island, hillside, lichens, mammals, rocks, rocky, sage, sagebrush, spring, standing|

I came across this image I took of a Coyote standing on rocks on a sunny spring morning yesterday and realized that I miss seeing coyotes as often as I used to.

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Vesper Sparrow At Dawn

By Mia McPherson|March 7th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Utah, Vesper Sparrows, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, dawn, fence post, light, mountains, Poocetes gramineus, sparrow, sparrows, spring, Vesper Sparrow, wooden post|

As this winter drags on, I find myself yearning for the sounds of spring. In particular, I can barely wait to hear the soft morning song of a Vesper Sparrow.

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Just Weeks Away From Taking Uinta Ground Squirrel Photos

By Mia McPherson|February 27th, 2023|Categories: Summit County, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, grass, grasses, ground squirrel, ground squirrels, mountains, spring, squirrel, squirrels, Summit County, Uinta Ground Squirrel, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|

In just about five weeks I should be able to take my first of year Uinta Ground Squirrel photos up in the sage-covered, grassy parts of the Wasatch Mountains.

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Coming Soon: Great-tailed Grackle Breeding Season

By Mia McPherson|February 21st, 2023|Categories: Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, bath, blackbirds, breeding display, close up, display, displaying, duo, feather, female, grackle, grackles, Great-tailed Grackle, Head-Up, intensely, looking, male, park, portrait, preening-tail, Quiscalus mexicanus, Ruff-Out, solo, spring, urban, winter|

On two of my most recent walks I have seen Great-tailed Grackles. Seeing them reminded me that Great-tailed Grackle breeding season is coming soon.

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Squirrel Appreciation Day 2023

By Mia McPherson|January 21st, 2023|Categories: Summit County, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, closed, dozing, eyes, ground squirrel, ground squirrels, mountains, spring, squirrel, Squirrel Appreciation Day, squirrels, Uinta Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus armatus|

Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day around the globe. Love them, or hate them, there is no denying that they are fun, fascinating, beguiling, fuzzy creatures!

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My 2022 Year In Review

By Mia McPherson|December 31st, 2022|Categories: American Kestrels, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Box Elder County, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Golden Eagles, Great Horned Owls, Horned Grebes, Morgan County, Northern Yellow Warblers, Ring-billed Gulls, Rock Wrens, Ruffed Grouse, Tundra Swans, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Western Warbling-Vireos|Tags: adult, Amelanchier utahensis, American Kestrel, Aquila chrysaetos, autumn, background, berries, Bewick's Swan, bill, birds of prey, Black-billed Magpie, blooming, blooms, blossoms, Bonasa umbellus, boulder, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Bubo virginianus, building, canyon, close up, corvids, Cygnus columbianus, Cygnus columbianus bewickii, Davis County, desert, dirt, eagle, eagles, Falco sparverius, falcon, falcons, fall, farmlands, female, fledgling, flight, flock, flowering, flowering shrub, flying, forest edge, fruiting shrub, fruits, fruting shrubs, Golden Eagle, gorget, Great Horned Owl, grebe, grebes, grouse, gull, gulls, Horned Grebe, hummingbird, hummingbirds, immature, juvenile, kestrel, kestrels, Larus delawarensis, lichen, lores, magpie, magpies, male, marsh, mountains, nest, nest box, nesting, nonbreeding plumage, owl, owls, perched, Pica hudsonia, Podiceps auritus, raptors, rare, reflection, Ring-billed Gull, riparian habitat, road, roadside, rock, Rock Wren, rocks, Ruffed Grouse, Salpinctes obsoletus, Selasphorus platycercus, serviceberries, serviceberry, Setophaga aestiva, shrub, spring, stink-eye, summer, swan, swans, thicket, tree, Tundra Swans, Utah, Utah Serviceberry, vagrant, warbler, warblers, water, waterbirds, waterfowl, wetlands, willow, willow thicket, willows, winter, winter plumage, wood-warbler, wood-warblers, wren, wrens, Yellow Warbler, young|

On this last day of the year it is time for my annual 2022 Year in Review post. In some ways 2022 has been great for me and in others not so good.

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