{"id":153580,"date":"2025-08-28T04:01:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T09:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=153580"},"modified":"2025-08-28T04:12:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T09:12:07","slug":"young-black-necked-stilt-portrait","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/08\/28\/young-black-necked-stilt-portrait\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Black-necked Stilt Portrait"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was exactly three years ago today when I took this young Black-necked Stilt portrait on the marshes of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge<\/span><\/a> in northern Utah.<\/p>\n

\"YoungYoung Black-necked Stilt portrait in Utah<\/span><\/p>\n

August in Utah is normally a time when shorebirds are seen in large numbers at the refuge. The shorebirds that nested there have mostly finished raising their young and are preparing for migration.<\/p>\n

Shorebirds that nested and raised their young further north pass through the refuge during migration, stopping to rest and feed before continuing on their long journeys. The wetlands here provide the food and shelter they need to refuel, making August a busy and important time for these travelers.<\/p>\n

During good water years, thousands of Black-necked Stilts breed and raise their young at the refuge. In dry years, their numbers can drop off sharply, and fewer nests succeed.<\/p>\n

Utah is in a drying pattern again. I can\u2019t help but wonder how that will affect the number of stilts and other shorebirds that return to the refuge to nest.<\/p>\n

Shorebirds need shallow water and healthy mudflats. When the water dries up, the invertebrates they feed on can disappear.<\/p>\n

That makes me worry about the migrants too. They stop at the refuge to rest and refuel on their long journeys. If the food supply drops, their flights south could become even more difficult.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.\u00a0But life isn\u2019t easy for shorebirds, on their breeding grounds, in their overwintering areas, or during migration. We can and should do more to help them.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Black-necked Stilt photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was exactly three years ago today when I took this young Black-necked Stilt portrait on the marshes of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in northern Utah.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":153577,"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":[124,27,1463,1148,26],"tags":[1464,4142,4370,4067,4094,530,4046,274,3950,3951,2315,3996,4095,4193],"class_list":["post-153580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-avian","category-black-necked-stilts","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-utah","tag-black-necked-stilt","tag-close-up","tag-himantopus-mexicanus","tag-immature","tag-marsh","tag-migration","tag-portrait","tag-shorebirds-2","tag-stilt","tag-stilts","tag-summer-3","tag-water","tag-wetlands","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilt-young-portrait-mia-mcpherson-8908.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-DX6","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":48013,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/08\/06\/male-black-necked-stilt-watching-over-his-offspring-at-bear-river-mbr\/","url_meta":{"origin":153580,"position":0},"title":"Male Black-necked Stilt Watching Over His Offspring At Bear River MBR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Thousands upon thousands of Black-necked Stilts make the marshes at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in northern Utah their home during their breeding season.","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":"Juvenile Black-necked Stilts in the marsh at Bear River MBR, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilts-juveniles-mia-mcpherson-0446.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilts-juveniles-mia-mcpherson-0446.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilts-juveniles-mia-mcpherson-0446.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilts-juveniles-mia-mcpherson-0446.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15709,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/08\/26\/a-juvenile-black-necked-stilt-at-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/","url_meta":{"origin":153580,"position":1},"title":"Juvenile Black-necked Stilt at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 26, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I had an opportunity to photograph this juvenile Black-necked Stilt as it rested along the auto tour route at the refuge.","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":"Resting juvenile Black-necked Stilt at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/black-necked-stilt-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-1373.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/black-necked-stilt-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-1373.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/black-necked-stilt-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-1373.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/black-necked-stilt-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-1373.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4886,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/04\/28\/black-necked-stilts\/","url_meta":{"origin":153580,"position":2},"title":"Black-necked Stilts","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 28, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Black-necked Stilts have returned from their wintering grounds to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and other locations in Utah. Black-necked Stilts are black and white shorebirds with long pink to reddish legs, thin black bills and lovely red eyes.","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":"Black-necked Stilt in shallow water at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilt-mia-mcpherson-5249.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilt-mia-mcpherson-5249.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilt-mia-mcpherson-5249.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile Black-necked Stilt foraging in the Bear River, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilt-mia-mcpherson-3030.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilt-mia-mcpherson-3030.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilt-mia-mcpherson-3030.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilt-mia-mcpherson-3030.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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MBR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 13, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I spent part of my morning yesterday photographing American Avocet and Black-necked Stilt chicks from the auto tour route at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and it was a blast watching these young shorebirds.","rel":"","context":"In "American Avocets"","block_context":{"text":"American Avocets","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/shorebirds\/american-avocets\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black-necked Stilt chick wing lift, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilt-chick-wing-lift-mia-mcpherson-8463.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-necked-stilt-chick-wing-lift-mia-mcpherson-8463.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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