{"id":111843,"date":"2023-03-31T04:19:28","date_gmt":"2023-03-31T10:19:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=111843"},"modified":"2023-03-31T04:26:28","modified_gmt":"2023-03-31T10:26:28","slug":"snow-weary-and-needing-a-bird-fix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/03\/31\/snow-weary-and-needing-a-bird-fix\/","title":{"rendered":"Snow Weary And Needing A Bird Fix"},"content":{"rendered":"

More fresh snow on the ground this morning. I am snow weary. I need a bird, nature, gone exploring in the wild fix with no clear return time. What I would love right now is sunshine, a warm spring breeze, and birds to lift my spirit.<\/p>\n

\"SpringSpring American Avocets in breeding plumage \u2013 Nikon D500, f9, 1\/1000, ISO 500, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Two years ago today I was out with the birds at Bear River MBR<\/span><\/a>. There were spring American Avocets that had just arrived on spring migration. They were dressed in their finest breeding plumage and settling into the wetlands for the season in small flocks.<\/p>\n

\"SpringSpring adult Black-crowned Night Heron in flight \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2500, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

And in spring the year round resident Black-crowned Night Herons are often more visible. This one squawked as it lifted off from the marshes that were waking up from the long winter.<\/p>\n

\"SpringSpring Adult male Yellow-headed Blackbird \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The return of the Yellow-headed Blackbirds and their rusty gate song<\/span><\/a> was and is a spring serenade. Some might say their calls are annoying. Not me. Those songs say spring to me.<\/p>\n

\"SpringSpring Marsh Wren singing \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

By now the male Marsh Wrens should be busy building nests and singing<\/span><\/a> at the top of reeds, rushes, and phrags. Their songs delight my senses.<\/p>\n

\"SpringSpring male Red-winged Blackbird singing \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 500, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Right next door to the singing Marsh Wrens, male Red-winged-Blackbirds should be displaying, calling, and singing<\/span><\/a> too.<\/p>\n

This snow will stop. The gray skies will clear. I have to keep telling myself that almost daily now because I am in need of a bird and nature fix. I need to shed all the layers that have kept me warm through the winter and celebrate the arrival of spring like the birds do. That is as natural to me as breathing.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my bird photos in their galleries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":111839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[451,27,321,538,419,427],"tags":[4004,4151,1634,8986,5828,5350,1533,3813,3483,4053,777,4224,4052,4122,627,626,4060,4062,4094,2118,4069,3956,3957,4292,4104,4059,6428,4019,4177,4324,4156,5558,274,4179,4018,165,313,3996,4095,5802,3822,4178,1386],"class_list":["post-111843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-avocets","category-avian","category-black-crowned-night-herons","category-marsh-wrens","category-red-winged-blackbirds","category-yellow-headed-blackbird","tag-adult","tag-agelaius-phoeniceus","tag-american-avocet","tag-american-avocets","tag-avocet","tag-avocets","tag-black-crowned-night-heron","tag-blackbird","tag-blackbirds","tag-breeding-plumage","tag-cistothorus-palustris","tag-early-morning","tag-flight","tag-flying","tag-heron","tag-herons","tag-icterids","tag-male","tag-marsh","tag-marsh-wren","tag-mountains","tag-night-heron","tag-night-herons","tag-nycticorax-nycticorax","tag-perched","tag-phragmites","tag-phrags","tag-preening-2","tag-recurvirostra-americana","tag-red-winged-blackbird","tag-resting","tag-river","tag-shorebirds-2","tag-singing-2","tag-sky","tag-spring","tag-wading-birds","tag-water","tag-wetlands","tag-wren","tag-wrens","tag-xanthocephalus-xanthocephalus","tag-yellow-headed-blackbird"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/red-winged-blackbird-male-spring-marsh-mia-mcpherson-1613.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-t5V","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7443,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/02\/06\/some-of-the-birds-i-love-at-bear-river-national-wildlife-refuge\/","url_meta":{"origin":111843,"position":0},"title":"Some of the Birds I Love at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 6, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"One of my favorite locations to photograph birds in northern Utah is Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I've selected some of the birds there that delight and entertain me while I observe and photograph them.","rel":"","context":"In "American Avocets"","block_context":{"text":"American Avocets","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/shorebirds\/american-avocets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Calling Eastern Kingbird on a barbed wire fence, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/eastern-kingbird-mia-mcpherson-5986.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/eastern-kingbird-mia-mcpherson-5986.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/eastern-kingbird-mia-mcpherson-5986.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/eastern-kingbird-mia-mcpherson-5986.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46074,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/04\/09\/missing-the-birds-of-bear-river-mbr\/","url_meta":{"origin":111843,"position":1},"title":"Missing the Birds of Bear River MBR & Spring Migration","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 9, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour route is still closed and many of the birders, bird photographers and nature lovers are itching to know what birds are there because after all spring migration is an exciting time at the refuge.","rel":"","context":"In "American Avocets"","block_context":{"text":"American Avocets","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/shorebirds\/american-avocets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Flock of Long-billed Dowitchers in flight, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/long-billed-dowitchers-flock-mia-mcpherson-9688.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/long-billed-dowitchers-flock-mia-mcpherson-9688.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/long-billed-dowitchers-flock-mia-mcpherson-9688.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/long-billed-dowitchers-flock-mia-mcpherson-9688.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2317,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2011\/05\/14\/midges-and-birds-food-for-thought\/","url_meta":{"origin":111843,"position":2},"title":"Midges And Birds – Food For Thought","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 14, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the time of the year that \"midges\" are as thick as flies on you-know-what at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.","rel":"","context":"In "American Avocets"","block_context":{"text":"American Avocets","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/shorebirds\/american-avocets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult American Avocet, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-avocet-adult-bear-river-mia-mcpherson-4777.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-avocet-adult-bear-river-mia-mcpherson-4777.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-avocet-adult-bear-river-mia-mcpherson-4777.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-avocet-adult-bear-river-mia-mcpherson-4777.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":125374,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/03\/22\/male-yellow-headed-blackbird-video-and-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":111843,"position":3},"title":"Male Yellow-headed Blackbird Video And Photos","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 22, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Earlier this week I stopped to take a video of a singing male Yellow-headed Blackbird on the auto tour loop of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I'm glad I did.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Yellow-headed Blackbird on the last day of winter, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/yellow-headed-blackbird-male-marsh-mia-mcpherson-1075.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/yellow-headed-blackbird-male-marsh-mia-mcpherson-1075.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/yellow-headed-blackbird-male-marsh-mia-mcpherson-1075.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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May","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 19, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"May is a time of renewal at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and as the marsh begins to green up the migrant birds return and along with the year round residents their songs and calls can be heard over the wetlands.","rel":"","context":"In "American Avocets"","block_context":{"text":"American Avocets","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/shorebirds\/american-avocets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Displaying male Yellow-headed Blackbird in morning light, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, 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