{"id":43133,"date":"2016-11-17T06:05:10","date_gmt":"2016-11-17T13:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=43133"},"modified":"2025-03-23T05:27:04","modified_gmt":"2025-03-23T10:27:04","slug":"first-snow-of-the-year-winter-birds-ahead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/11\/17\/first-snow-of-the-year-winter-birds-ahead\/","title":{"rendered":"First Snow of the Year – Winter Birds Ahead"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AmericanAmerican Barn Owl in flight near the snow covered Great Salt Lake – Nikon D810, f6.3, 1\/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, it finally snowed in the Salt Lake Valley last night and when I woke there was a layer of snow on the grass outside my window. Even though it is still dark I can tell that the road is wet and shiny but not snow covered. It looks like winter is on its way.<\/p>\n

Two days ago it was a record breaking 73\u00b0F in Salt Lake City and in nearby Colorado many cities were reporting temps in the 80 degree range. Usually before now there is enough snow to have opened the ski resorts in Utah, not so this year.<\/p>\n

But this morning the snow on the ground has me thinking about the birds I hope to see and photograph this winter. It is challenging to photograph birds in the snow whether the light is low or bright but I truly enjoy the testing my skills and the cooler temps.<\/p>\n

I photographed the American Barn Owl in the photo above in February of this year as it flew over snow covered mud flats that surround the Great Salt Lake from the causeway to Antelope Island State Park.<\/p>\n

Maybe I will finally get images of a Snowy Owl or better images of a Gyrfalcon, I can dream, right?<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to view more of my American Barn Owl photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n

I am dreading the winter inversions but I guess our governor and many of our legislators think that serving industry and allowing uncontrolled pollution is more important than clean air and serving the people of this state. Denver cleaned up its infamous brown cloud so the Salt Lake Valley could too if we had effective leadership. We don’t though. However; if they could make money off of cleaning up the pollution that causes the inversions we’d have the cleanest air in the country.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Well, it finally snowed in the Salt Lake Valley last night and when I woke there was a layer of snow on the grass outside my window.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":141952,"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":[129,511,27,1022,26],"tags":[4004,3985,4052,4122,4005,4099,3967,294,4050,4328,49,373],"class_list":["post-43133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-barn-owls","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-barn-owl","tag-flight","tag-flying","tag-great-salt-lake","tag-morning-light","tag-owl","tag-owls","tag-snow","tag-snowy","tag-tyto-furcata","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/barn-owl-snow-mia-mcpherson-0993.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-bdH","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":35452,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/02\/09\/barn-owls-in-winter\/","url_meta":{"origin":43133,"position":0},"title":"American Barn Owls in Winter","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I am always grateful to see Barn Owls in winter and to be able to photograph them in sweet light is a delight.","rel":"","context":"In "American Barn Owls"","block_context":{"text":"American Barn Owls","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/owls\/barn-owls\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Flying American Barn Owl on a February morning, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/barn-owl-flight-mia-mcpherson-0990.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/barn-owl-flight-mia-mcpherson-0990.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/barn-owl-flight-mia-mcpherson-0990.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/barn-owl-flight-mia-mcpherson-0990.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17816,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/12\/17\/winter-barn-owl-on-a-gray-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":43133,"position":1},"title":"Winter American Barn Owl On A Gray Day","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 17, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Still waiting for snow here in the Salt Lake Valley so I am posting another snowy image of a Barn Owl taken in December of 2013.","rel":"","context":"In "American Barn Owls"","block_context":{"text":"American Barn Owls","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/owls\/barn-owls\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Winter American Barn Owl on a gray day perched on some phragmites, northern Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/barn-owl-snowy-mia-mcpherson-1891.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/barn-owl-snowy-mia-mcpherson-1891.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/barn-owl-snowy-mia-mcpherson-1891.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/barn-owl-snowy-mia-mcpherson-1891.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6423,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/10\/25\/winters-first-snow\/","url_meta":{"origin":43133,"position":2},"title":"Winter’s First Snow","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 25, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"As I write this the first snow of winter is falling outside my living room window. For the past week I have seen the snow on the mountain tops and I had been looking forward to seeing the snow covering the Salt Lake Valley.","rel":"","context":"In "American Barn Owls"","block_context":{"text":"American Barn Owls","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/owls\/barn-owls\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Antelope Island after a fresh snow, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/antelope-island-snow-mia-mcpherson-6399.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/antelope-island-snow-mia-mcpherson-6399.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/antelope-island-snow-mia-mcpherson-6399.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/antelope-island-snow-mia-mcpherson-6399.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56000,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/02\/09\/barn-owl-immature-bald-eagle-california-and-ring-billed-gulls\/","url_meta":{"origin":43133,"position":3},"title":"American Barn Owl, Immature Bald Eagle, California And Ring-billed Gulls","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"So, even though I didn't get great photos yesterday I was glad to get out and photograph an American Barn Owl, Bald Eagle and these California and Ring-billed Gulls.","rel":"","context":"In "American Barn Owls"","block_context":{"text":"American Barn Owls","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/owls\/barn-owls\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Immature Bald Eagle in front of the snow-covered Wasatch Mountains, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/bald-eagle-immature-mia-mcpherson-0978.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/bald-eagle-immature-mia-mcpherson-0978.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/bald-eagle-immature-mia-mcpherson-0978.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/bald-eagle-immature-mia-mcpherson-0978.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":79015,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/02\/07\/its-superb-owl-sunday\/","url_meta":{"origin":43133,"position":4},"title":"It’s Superb Owl Sunday!","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 7, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"It is Superb Owl Sunday so I wanted to share four of the owls that I see most frequently. Barn, Burrowing, Great Horned and Short-eared Owls are the owls that I photograph most often here in northern Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "American Barn Owls"","block_context":{"text":"American Barn Owls","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/owls\/barn-owls\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Young Short-eared Owl resting in front of sage, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/short-eared-owl-juvenile-sage-mia-mcpherson-2874.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/short-eared-owl-juvenile-sage-mia-mcpherson-2874.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/short-eared-owl-juvenile-sage-mia-mcpherson-2874.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/short-eared-owl-juvenile-sage-mia-mcpherson-2874.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":79512,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/02\/17\/adult-barn-owl-on-the-wing\/","url_meta":{"origin":43133,"position":5},"title":"Adult American Barn Owl On The Wing","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"So far this winter I have only seen one Barn Owl on the wing on the 6th of January as it flew over the marsh at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.","rel":"","context":"In "American Barn Owls"","block_context":{"text":"American Barn Owls","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/owls\/barn-owls\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult American Barn Owl on the wing, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/barn-owl-flight-flats-mia-mcpherson-5834.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/barn-owl-flight-flats-mia-mcpherson-5834.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/barn-owl-flight-flats-mia-mcpherson-5834.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/barn-owl-flight-flats-mia-mcpherson-5834.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43133\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}