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Many beginning photographers dream of taking images in far off places of exotic birds and there is nothing wrong with that. But we shouldn\u2019t overlook the advantages of photographing birds close to home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":159349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[137,3,27,135,133,132,709,26],"tags":[4010,3966,4165,142,2773,126,4121,707,4704,277,4154,706,8301,8300,4009,4166,140,4011],"class_list":["post-14386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-coots","category-white-pelicans","category-avian","category-pied-billed-grebes","category-red-breasted-mergansers","category-ring-necked-ducks","category-salt-lake-county-utah","category-utah","tag-american-coot","tag-american-white-pelican","tag-aythya-collaris","tag-close-to-home","tag-coots","tag-ducks-2","tag-fulica-americana","tag-grebes-2","tag-mergansers","tag-mergus-serrator","tag-pelecanus-erythrorhynchos","tag-pelicans","tag-photograph","tag-photographing","tag-pied-billed-grebe","tag-podilymbus-podiceps","tag-red-breasted-merganser","tag-ring-necked-duck"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/american-coot-reflection-mia-mcpherson-8277.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-3K2","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":55045,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/11\/19\/some-of-the-joys-of-photographing-birds-close-to-home\/","url_meta":{"origin":14386,"position":0},"title":"Some Of The Joys Of Photographing Birds Close To Home","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I spent some time at one of the local ponds yesterday afternoon and came home with photos that made me smile and for a little while I forgot about the long hours I spent getting skunked on the road earlier in the day.","rel":"","context":"In "American Coots"","block_context":{"text":"American Coots","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/gruiformes\/american-coots\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hen Ring-necked Duck with her bill open wide, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ring-necked-duck-hen-calling-mia-mcpherson-0196.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ring-necked-duck-hen-calling-mia-mcpherson-0196.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ring-necked-duck-hen-calling-mia-mcpherson-0196.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ring-necked-duck-hen-calling-mia-mcpherson-0196.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3409,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2011\/10\/28\/taking-a-look-back-on-a-few-previous-autumn-birds\/","url_meta":{"origin":14386,"position":1},"title":"Taking A Look Back On A Few Previous Autumn Birds","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 28, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Photographing birds during Autumn is a wonderful time for me in Utah, the beautiful fall colors delight and enthrall me, the air gets nippy and I find myself feeling a surge of energy whenever I am outdoors.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ring-necked Pheasant male in autumn grasses and pickleweed, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ring-necked-pheasant-male-pickleweed-mia-mcpherson-2332.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ring-necked-pheasant-male-pickleweed-mia-mcpherson-2332.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ring-necked-pheasant-male-pickleweed-mia-mcpherson-2332.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ring-necked-pheasant-male-pickleweed-mia-mcpherson-2332.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":57784,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/05\/13\/male-ring-necked-pheasant-and-midges-at-bear-river-mbr\/","url_meta":{"origin":14386,"position":2},"title":"Male Ring-necked Pheasant And Midges At Bear River MBR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 13, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I don't know if the Ring-necked Pheasants eat the midges but I know that many of the other birds at the refuge do so I like to think of midges as bird food on the wing.","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":"Ring-necked Pheasant and Midges, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/ring-necked-pheasant-portrait-midges-mia-mcpherson-5855.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/ring-necked-pheasant-portrait-midges-mia-mcpherson-5855.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/ring-necked-pheasant-portrait-midges-mia-mcpherson-5855.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/ring-necked-pheasant-portrait-midges-mia-mcpherson-5855.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":77816,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/01\/15\/photographing-winter-birds\/","url_meta":{"origin":14386,"position":3},"title":"Photographing Winter Birds","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"I spent a couple of hours yesterday photographing winter birds at Farmington Bay WMA and closer to home in the morning and afternoon.","rel":"","context":"In "American Coots"","block_context":{"text":"American Coots","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/gruiformes\/american-coots\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Drake Common Goldeneye displaying, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/common-goldeneye-drake-displaying-mia-mcpherson-8180.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/common-goldeneye-drake-displaying-mia-mcpherson-8180.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/common-goldeneye-drake-displaying-mia-mcpherson-8180.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/common-goldeneye-drake-displaying-mia-mcpherson-8180.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":34122,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/12\/13\/pied-billed-grebe-with-a-large-fish\/","url_meta":{"origin":14386,"position":4},"title":"Pied-billed Grebe With A Large Fish","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"When a few of the grebes caught sight of this Pied-billed Grebe with a large fish they started to chase it over the water.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pied-billed Grebe with a large fish being chased by other grebes at Farmington Bay WMA in Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pied-billed-grebe-fish-mia-mcpherson-7104.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pied-billed-grebe-fish-mia-mcpherson-7104.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pied-billed-grebe-fish-mia-mcpherson-7104.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pied-billed-grebe-fish-mia-mcpherson-7104.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6718,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/12\/06\/three-years-ago-today-when-it-was-actually-winter\/","url_meta":{"origin":14386,"position":5},"title":"Three Years Ago Today When It Was Actually Winter","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 6, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Three years ago today though the ground was covered in drifts of snow, the temps were below freezing, there was ice on the ponds & lakes and there was a sharp briskness to the air that can only be found in winter.","rel":"","context":"In "American Coots"","block_context":{"text":"American Coots","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/gruiformes\/american-coots\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ring-billed Gull on the edge of ice in Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-winter-mia-mcpherson-8512.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-winter-mia-mcpherson-8512.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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![\"Ring-necked](\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ring-necked-duck-utah-mia-mcpherson-0999.jpg\" "\\"Ring-necked")
Male Ring-necked Duck on an icy pond – Nikon D200, tripod mounted, f8,1\/800, ISO 250, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Red-breasted](\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/red-breasted-merganser-on-water-mia-mcpherson-1086.jpg\" "\\"Red-breasted")
![\"Pied-billed](\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pied-billed-grebe-mia-mcpherson-8254.jpg\" "\\"Pied-billed")
![\"American](\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/american-white-pelican-mia-mcpherson-3401.jpg\" "\\"American")
![\"American](\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/american-coot-reflection-mia-mcpherson-8277.jpg\" "\\"American")