survive – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Low Light American Robin Kicking Snow

By Mia McPherson|2024-01-23T04:32:32-06:00January 23rd, 2024|Categories: American Robins, Birds, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, American Robin, crabapples, kicking, low light, robin, robins, snow, snowy, struggle, survive, thrush, thrushes, Turdus migratorius, urban, winter|

It was a dreary, low-light kind of day last winter when I photographed this American Robin kicking snow to uncover frozen crabapples for breakfast from my Jeep.

Coyote and Black-billed Magpies Scavenging to Survive

By Mia McPherson|2023-12-29T07:48:09-06:00December 29th, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Coyotes, Davis County, Utah|Tags: Black-billed Magpie, Canis latrans, carcass, carrion, Coyote, deer, ecosystem, food, food web, harsh, magpie, magpies, opportunistic, Pica hudsonia, predators, scavenger, scavengers, Scavenging, snow, survive, winter|

One year ago today I found, pointed out and photographed a Coyote and Black-billed Magpies scavenging a deer carcass to survive on Antelope Island State Park.

Song Sparrow on a bitter cold winter day

By Mia McPherson|2024-01-21T05:26:28-06:00December 10th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: adult, birds, cold, Davis County, foraging, marsh, Melospiza melodia, phragmites, pigweed, seeds, snow, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, survive, winter|

Yesterday the lowest temperature I saw at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area was -12F which reinforces the thought that "bird photography isn't for everyone" and that winters in Utah are hard on the birds.