{"id":18388,"date":"2015-01-01T06:38:00","date_gmt":"2015-01-01T13:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=18388"},"modified":"2025-08-07T08:34:29","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T13:34:29","slug":"raising-my-glass-to-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/01\/01\/raising-my-glass-to-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"Raising my glass to 2015!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Black-billedBlack-billed Magpie in flight<\/span><\/p>\n

Raising the glass attached to my camera that is! I’m excited about the photographic opportunities that will present themselves in 2015. For a few more weeks I will be photographing winter birds and snowy critters but when March arrives I’ll be photographing some of the early nesting birds like this Black-billed Magpie taken as the bird flew away from the nest it was constructing on Antelope Island State Park. Some people think they are pests but I think they are wonderful, graceful in flight and smart.<\/p>\n

\"HouseHouse Wren portrait<\/span><\/p>\n

I hope to spend more time photographing little birds like this House Wren photographed in Clark County, Idaho in May. I also hope that my hawk-eyes stays with me because without it I never would have spotted and pointed out these small birds constructing their nest in a tree that also housed lifer birds for me, a pair of Williamson’s Sapsuckers.<\/p>\n

\"MooseMoose calf in Idaho<\/span><\/p>\n

I hope to see more Moose. More Coyotes, more bears and many more furry creatures. Living in the west gives me plenty of opportunities for photographing wildlife but I would always love more. This Moose calf and its mother were a delight to see and photograph in the Targhee National Forest in Idaho in July.<\/p>\n

\"PortraitPortrait of a juvenile Swainson’s Hawk<\/span><\/p>\n

And of course I would love to see and photograph tons of raptors and owls. This beautiful light morph Swainson’s Hawk juvenile was a very cooperative subject as it perched on a fence in Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Montana in September which was a camping trip where I saw lows of 11\u00b0F.\u00a0 Brr.<\/p>\n

The photos are always a delight to create but one of the best things about doing what I do is spending time in nature with all the great views, animals and birds I see.<\/p>\n

Happy New Year everyone! May 2015 be your best yet.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Raising the glass attached to my camera that is! I’m excited about the photographic opportunities that will present themselves in 2015. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":151846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_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":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[511,1513,27,245,223,2578,1022,2244,12,316,2586,206,2261,26],"tags":[4425,4021,1813,4200,2497,4426,4142,4052,4122,4109,4033,4169,4067,4071,6005,4842,4037,2587,4167,4046,153,2326,4148,4034,2585,4032,5802,3822],"class_list":["post-18388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-beaverhead-county-montana","category-avian","category-black-billed-magpies","category-centennial-valley","category-clark-county","category-davis-county-utah","category-idaho","category-montana","category-moose","category-house-wrens","category-swainson-hawks","category-targhee-national-forest","category-utah","tag-alces-alces","tag-bird-photography","tag-black-billed-magpie","tag-buteo-swainsoni","tag-buteos","tag-calf","tag-close-up","tag-flight","tag-flying","tag-grasses","tag-hawk","tag-hawks","tag-immature","tag-juvenile","tag-magpie","tag-magpies","tag-moose","tag-house-wren","tag-pica-hudsonia","tag-portrait","tag-raptors","tag-road","tag-running","tag-swainsons-hawk","tag-troglodytes-aedon","tag-wildlife-photography","tag-wren","tag-wrens"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-billed-magpie-flight-mia-mcpherson-4448.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-4MA","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1420,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2010\/11\/22\/nesting-black-billed-magpies\/","url_meta":{"origin":18388,"position":0},"title":"Nesting Black-billed Magpies","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 22, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"If I had not been paying attention to the first magpie's activity and behavior I would have missed the opportunity to photograph these birds and their nesting habits over the next several weeks.","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":"Black-billed Magpie landing with nesting material. Antelope Island State Park, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/black-billed-magpie-mia-mcpherson-landing-nesting-4940.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/black-billed-magpie-mia-mcpherson-landing-nesting-4940.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/black-billed-magpie-mia-mcpherson-landing-nesting-4940.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/black-billed-magpie-mia-mcpherson-landing-nesting-4940.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":121645,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/02\/20\/black-billed-magpie-with-nesting-materials\/","url_meta":{"origin":18388,"position":1},"title":"Black-billed Magpie With Nesting Materials","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 20, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"It was my first full spring in Utah, nearly 14 years ago, when my keen eyes were used to find my first Black-billed Magpie nest on Antelope Island State Park.","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":"Black-billed Magpie in flight with nesting material for its nest, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/black-billed-magpie-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-7510.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/black-billed-magpie-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-7510.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Black-billed Magpie lifting off from a bush with nesting material, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/black-billed-magpie-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-4871.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/black-billed-magpie-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-4871.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/black-billed-magpie-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-4871.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/black-billed-magpie-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-4871.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/black-billed-magpie-immature-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-4339.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/black-billed-magpie-immature-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-4339.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/black-billed-magpie-immature-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-4339.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/black-billed-magpie-immature-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-4339.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":97171,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/11\/09\/immature-black-billed-magpie-portrait-at-sunrise\/","url_meta":{"origin":18388,"position":4},"title":"Immature Black-billed Magpie 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