summer – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Common Grackle Males in Arkansas

By Mia McPherson|2023-07-17T03:45:47-05:00July 17th, 2023|Categories: Arkansas, Birds, Common Grackles, Sebastian County|Tags: adult, birdbath, blackbird, blackbirds, Common Grackle, grackle, grackles, look, male, Quiscalus quiscula, summer, surprised, urban, water, yard|

Today, I am tickled to share three male Common Grackle photos. I took these images in my friend Steve Creek's yard during my visit to Arkansas last month.

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Common Five-lined Skink Photos

By Mia McPherson|2023-07-15T03:49:17-05:00July 15th, 2023|Categories: Common Five-lined Skinks, Oklahoma, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Wildlife|Tags: adult, bottomland hardwood forests, bottomlands, Common Five-lined Skink, female, lizard, lizards, log, male, Oklahoma, Plestiodon fasciatus, reptiles, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, skink, skinks, spring, summer|

Today, I am sharing three Common Five-lined Skink photos that I took at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma when I visited my friend Steve Creek.

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Blooming Monument Plant In Utah

By Mia McPherson|2023-07-13T05:10:42-05:00July 13th, 2023|Categories: Monument Plants, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildflowers|Tags: blooming, blooms, blossoms, canyon, Deer's ears, Elkweed, flowering, Frasera speciosa, gentian family, Green Gentian, green wildflowers, inflorescence, Monument Plant, mountains, spike, stem, summer, white wildflowers, wildflowers|

This morning, I am showcasing two blooming Monument Plant photos. I took these images yesterday in Summit County, high in the Wasatch Mountains.

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Barred Owl From A Distance

By Mia McPherson|2023-07-12T03:47:23-05:00July 12th, 2023|Categories: Barred Owls, Birds, Oklahoma, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge|Tags: adult, Barred Owl, bottomland hardwood forests, bottomlands, distance, owl, owls, perched, raptors, slough, small in frame, Strix varia, summer, wetlands|

When I visited Sequoyah NWR for the last time before heading back to Utah I became excited when I spotted a Barred Owl perched in lush reeds.

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Young Red-shouldered Hawk at Sequoyah NWR

By Mia McPherson|2023-07-08T04:56:52-05:00July 8th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Oklahoma, Red-shouldered Hawks, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge|Tags: bottomland hardwood forests, bottomlands, branches, Buteo lineatus, Buteos, forest, hawk, hawks, immature, leaves, perched, raptors, Red-shouldered Hawk, summer, trees, young|

When I photographed this young Red-shouldered Hawk at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge it had been fourteen years since I had this species in my viewfinder.

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Young Eastern Bluebird In Arkansas

By Mia McPherson|2023-07-06T04:44:59-05:00July 6th, 2023|Categories: Arkansas, Birds, Eastern Bluebirds, Sebastian County|Tags: bluebird, bluebirds, Eastern Bluebird, foraging, grass, grasses, ground, immature, juvenile, Sialia sialis, summer, thrush, thrushes, urban, yard, young|

Just a quick post this morning highlighting a young Eastern Bluebird photographed while foraging on the ground in my friend Steve Creek's yard in Arkansas.

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Young Red-bellied Woodpecker Learning To Peck Wood

By Mia McPherson|2023-07-03T02:38:52-05:00July 3rd, 2023|Categories: Arkansas, Birds, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Sebastian County|Tags: baby, branch, feeder, fledgling, immature, Melanerpes carolinus, pecking, pine, Red-bellied Woodpecker, summer, urban, wood, woodpecker, woodpeckers, yard, young|

I photographed this young Red-bellied Woodpecker last month in Arkansas. I was visiting my dear friend and fellow photographer, Steve Creek.

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Eastern Cottontail Rabbit At Mount Magazine SP

By Mia McPherson|2023-07-03T08:57:19-05:00July 1st, 2023|Categories: Arkansas, Eastern Cottontails, Logan County, Mount Magazine State Park|Tags: adult, cottontail, cottontails, Eastern Cottontail, grass, grasses, mammals, mountains, rabbit, rabbits, summer, Sylvilagus floridanus, wildlife, wildlife photography|

When I photographed this Eastern Cottontail rabbit at Mount Magazine State Park in Logan County, Arkansas I was enchanted by it and the setting.

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Young Tufted Titmouse Exploring The World

By Mia McPherson|2023-10-17T14:45:15-05:00June 30th, 2023|Categories: Arkansas, Birds, Sebastian County, Tufted Titmouses|Tags: Baeolophus bicolor, driftwood, feeder, immature, morning light, perched, summer, titmice, titmouse, Tufted Titmouse, urban, yard, young|

I was thrilled to observe and photograph this charming young Tufted Titmouse a few days ago. I was able to see and hear Tufted Titmice in both Oklahoma and Arkansas.

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Cicada Exuvia: Just a Shell Of Its Former Self

By Mia McPherson|2023-06-29T12:40:00-05:00June 29th, 2023|Categories: Arkansas, Cicadas, Sebastian County|Tags: Cicada, cicadas, driftwood, exoskeleton, exuvia, feeder, insect, insects, metamorphosis, nymph, shed outer covering, shell, summer|

Two days ago I found a Cicada exuvia or exoskeleton attached to a driftwood suet feeder. The cicada had emerged sometime during the night to begin its life anew.

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Yellow-crowned Night Heron At Sequoyah NWR

By Mia McPherson|2023-07-03T08:55:03-05:00June 28th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Oklahoma, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Yellow-crowned Night Herons|Tags: adult, bottomland hardwood forests, bottomlands, branch, heron, herons, leaves, Miner's Cove, night heron, night herons, Nyctanassa violacea, perched, summer, tree, Yellow-crowned Night Heron|

Until a few days ago, I hadn't photographed a single Yellow-crowned Night Heron in almost fourteen years. I photographed this one at Sequoyah NWR in Oklahoma.

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Downy Woodpecker Photos From Arkansas

By Mia McPherson|2023-06-25T15:11:04-05:00June 26th, 2023|Categories: Arkansas, Birds, Downy Woodpeckers, Sebastian County|Tags: Downy Woodpecker, driftwood, Dryobates pubescens, feeder, immature, male, out, perched, sticking, summer, tongue, urban, woodpecker, woodpeckers, yard, young|

When I photographed this immature Downy Woodpecker yesterday in my friend Steve's yard I didn't think I'd get two photos with its tongue sticking out. But I did!

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White-breasted Nuthatch Images From Arkansas

By Mia McPherson|2023-08-14T04:12:56-05:00June 25th, 2023|Categories: Arkansas, Birds, Sebastian County, White-breasted Nuthatches|Tags: adult, driftwood, feeder, nuthatch, nuthatches, perched, Sitta carolinensis, summer, up close, urban, White-breasted Nuthatch, yard|

This morning, I'm sharing a few White-breasted Nuthatch images that I took yesterday in my friend Steve's birdy yard, before it got too hot to be outdoors.

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Adult Barred Owl At Sequoyah NWR

By Mia McPherson|2023-06-23T18:28:20-05:00June 24th, 2023|Categories: Barred Owls, Birds, Oklahoma, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge|Tags: adult, Barred Owl, bottomland hardwood forests, bottomlands, branch, leaves, owl, owls, perched, raptors, summer, willow|

I photographed this adult Barred Owl in nice light yesterday morning at Sequoyah NWR in Oklahoma. Huge thanks to Steve Creek for pointing it out to me.

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Young Black Vulture Snuggled Into A Tree Cavity Nest

By Mia McPherson|2023-09-08T02:39:34-05:00June 23rd, 2023|Categories: Birds, Black Vultures, Oklahoma, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge|Tags: Black Vulture, bottomland hardwood forests, bottomlands, Coragyps atratus, immature, juvenile, nesting cavity tree, summer, tree, vulture, vultures, young|

This young Black Vulture in a tree cavity nest made me happy dance yesterday morning at Sequoyah NWR when it was close to the entrance of the nesting cavity.

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Young Blue Jay Upside Down At A Feeder

By Mia McPherson|2023-06-21T11:39:11-05:00June 22nd, 2023|Categories: Arkansas, Birds, Blue Jays, Sebastian County|Tags: Blue Jay, close up, corvids, Cyanocitta cristata, feeder, immature, jay, jays, portrait, summer, upside down, urban, young|

Given how odd spring has been for me personally, it seemed appropriate for me to photograph a young Blue Jay hanging upside down on the first day of summer.

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Purple Loosestrife, Curlycup Gumweed and Chicory

By Mia McPherson|2023-06-03T03:04:09-05:00June 3rd, 2023|Categories: Chicory, Curlycup Gumweed, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Purple Loosestrife, Utah|Tags: blooming, blooms, blossoms, blue wildflowers, Chicory, Cichorium intybus, Common Chicory, Curlycup Gumweed, flowering, flowers, Grindelia squarrosa, introduced, invasive, loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, marsh, native, non-native, nonnative, pink wildflowers, Purple Loosestrife, purple wildflowers, summer, wetlands, wildflowers, yellow wildflowers|

I took these photos of Purple Loosestrife, Curlycup Gumweed, and Chicory last year while driving around Farmington Bay WMA in September.

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Blooming Prickly Poppies In The West Desert

By Mia McPherson|2023-05-26T02:59:24-05:00May 26th, 2023|Categories: Flatbud Prickly Poppy, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wildflowers|Tags: Argemone munita, blooming, blooms, blossoms, desert, Flatbud Prickly Poppy, flowering, foothills, native, Prickly Poppy, sky island mountains, summer, Tooele County, Utah, west desert, white wildflowers, wildflowers|

Prickly Poppies are one of my favorite summer wildflowers. I find these poppies in desert habitats, most often in the foothills of sky island mountain ranges.

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From My Heart To Yours ~ Happy Mother’s Day!

By Mia McPherson|2023-05-14T02:50:39-05:00May 14th, 2023|Categories: Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildflowers|Tags: Beardtongue, beardtongues, blooming, blooms, blossom, blue wildflowers, canyon, flowering, Mother's Day, mountains, native, Penstemon, penstemons, summer, wildflowers|

Happy Mother's Day to my mom, to my sister, to my daughter-in-laws, my niece, my aunts, my friends, and all the moms around the globe.

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Muskrat Kit In The Wasatch Mountains

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-30T03:31:25-05:00March 30th, 2023|Categories: Morgan County, Muskrats, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: alpine creek, alpine stream, baby, canyon, creek, immature, kit, mountains, Muskrat, muskrats, Ondatra zibethicus, riparian habitat, rodent, stream, summer, water, young|

I came across these images of Muskrat kit that I photographed in July of 2020 high in the Wasatch Mountains and realized I hadn't shared the images of them yet.

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Striped Skunk Butt – Skunked By The Weather Forecast

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-29T08:54:37-05:00March 29th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Striped Skunks, Utah, Wildlife|Tags: adult, butt, funny, grass, grasses, humor, mammals, marsh, Mephitis mephitis, raised, skunk, skunks, Striped Skunk, summer, tail, weather forecast, wetlands|

Yesterday I was skunked by a terribly wrong weather forecast so I decided this was the day that I would share one of my Striped Skunk photos taken last year.

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Scruffy And Tailless Male Yellow Warbler

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-26T03:42:09-05:00March 26th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: adult, canyon, Chokecherry, male, mountains, perched, Prunus virginiana, riparian habitat, scruffy, Setophaga petechia, summer, tail, tail-less, tailless, warbler, warblers, wood-warblers, Yellow Warbler|

While I was searching for other photos of a mammal I had taken, I came across this picture I had taken of a scruffy male Yellow Warbler without a tail to share.

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Broad-tailed Hummingbird Daydreams

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-25T05:41:45-05:00March 25th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, branch, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, canyon, Chokecherry, daydreams, forest edge, hummingbird, hummingbirds, male, mountains, Prunus virginiana, Selasphorus platycercus, summer, Western Chokecherry|

I've been having Broad-tailed Hummingbird daydreams lately. I can't wait to hear their tiny wing beats and chirps once again high in the Wasatch Mountains.

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Two Least Chipmunks Together In The Mountains

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-24T12:55:19-05:00March 24th, 2023|Categories: Least Chipmunks, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildlife|Tags: adult, canyon, chipmunk, chipmunks, eating, fence post, fun, Least Chipmunk, lichen, mountains, Neotamias minimus, pair, summer, wooden post|

I was editing some images for a new project when I came across this photo of two Least Chipmunks side by side on a wooden post high in the Wasatch Mountains.

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World Water Day 2023

By Mia McPherson|2024-02-02T05:37:24-06:00March 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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Common Ravens – Valentine’s Day Love Birds

By Mia McPherson|2023-02-14T04:39:41-06:00February 14th, 2023|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Common Ravens, Davis County, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, close up, Common Raven, corvids, Corvus corax, desert island, fall, mates, pair, portrait, rabbitbrush, raven, snow storm, storm, summer|

If you don't know much about Common Ravens you might wonder why I selected them to be the featured love birds on this Valentine's Day.

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Midwinter Daydreaming

By Mia McPherson|2023-01-31T05:08:16-06:00January 31st, 2023|Categories: Birds, Lazuli Buntings, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: barbed wire, bunting, canyon, daydreaming, fence, immature, Lazuli Bunting, male, mountains, Passerina amoena, perched, summer, young|

I have spent time daydreaming about the birds of spring and summer recently because I have a touch of the midwinter blues. It has been a very gray winter.

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Sawgrass Lake Park Photos

By Mia McPherson|2023-01-09T04:18:39-06:00January 9th, 2023|Categories: Anhingas, Birds, Florida, Pinellas County, Sawgrass Lake Park|Tags: adult, anhinga, Anhinga anhinga, anhingas, branches, golden light, grasses, hills, lake, leaves, male, misty, morning, nesting material, Spanish Moss, summer, Tillandsia usneoides, tree, trees, water, wetlands|

This morning I am traveling back in time via my archives to revisit Sawgrass Lake Park in Pinellas County, Florida.

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My 2022 Year In Review

By Mia McPherson|2023-11-10T04:24:07-06:00December 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, Ring-billed Gulls, Rock Wrens, Ruffed Grouse, Tundra Swans, Utah, Warbling Vireos, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|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 petechia, 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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Some Mammals I Loved In 2022

By Mia McPherson|2022-12-28T07:17:09-06:00December 28th, 2022|Categories: American Badgers, Davis County, Elk, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Least Chipmunks, Long-tailed Weasels, Morgan County, Mule Deer, Summit County, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: adult, American Badger, autumn, baby, badger, badger burrow, badgers, canyon, Cervus canadensis, chipmunk, chipmunks, close up, cow, curious, cute, Elk, elks, fall, female, fence post, grazing, ground squirrel, ground squirrels, high Uintas, hillside, kissing, Least Chipmunk, Long-tailed Weasel, mammals, marmot, Marmota flaviventris, marmots, marsh, mountains, Mustela frenata, mustelids, Neotamias minimus, portrait, profile, roadside, rock, rock pile, rocks, rocky slope, shadow, spring, squirrel, squirrels, summer, summer coat, Taxidea taxus, Uinta Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus armatus, weasel, weasels, wetlands, wooden post, Yellow-bellied Marmot, young|

This morning I am sharing some photos of the mammals I loved finding, seeing, photographing and having in my viewfinder in 2022.

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