fence post – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Dark Morph Ferruginous Hawk In The West Desert

By Mia McPherson|2023-11-24T04:42:58-06:00November 24th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Ferruginous Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, autumn, birds of prey, Buteo regalis, Buteos, dark morph, desert, fall, fence post, Ferruginous Hawk, flight, flying, foothills, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, lifting off, mountains, perched, raptors, sky island mountains, taking off|

Four years ago today, I found this gorgeous dark morph Ferruginous Hawk perched on a juniper fence post in the West Desert. I spotted it from about a mile away.

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Two Least Chipmunks Together In The Mountains

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-24T12:55:19-05:00March 24th, 2023|Categories: Least Chipmunks, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildlife|Tags: adult, canyon, chipmunk, chipmunks, eating, fence post, fun, Least Chipmunk, lichen, mountains, Neotamias minimus, pair, summer, wooden post|

I was editing some images for a new project when I came across this photo of two Least Chipmunks side by side on a wooden post high in the Wasatch Mountains.

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Vesper Sparrow At Dawn

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-07T11:57:01-06:00March 7th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Utah, Vesper Sparrows, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, dawn, fence post, light, mountains, Poocetes gramineus, sparrow, sparrows, spring, Vesper Sparrow, wooden post|

As this winter drags on, I find myself yearning for the sounds of spring. In particular, I can barely wait to hear the soft morning song of a Vesper Sparrow.

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West Desert Western Bluebird Memory

By Mia McPherson|2023-02-24T05:05:07-06:00February 24th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Western Bluebirds|Tags: adult, bluebird, bluebirds, desert, female, fence post, flock, foothills, lifer, metal post, perched, rusty, Sialia mexicana, sky, sky island mountains, thrush, thrushes, Western Bluebird, winter, wooden post|

This morning I am sharing a Western Bluebird memory from seven years ago. That day I found small flock of these colorful bluebirds in the West Desert.

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Some Mammals I Loved In 2022

By Mia McPherson|2022-12-28T07:17:09-06:00December 28th, 2022|Categories: American Badgers, Davis County, Elk, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Least Chipmunks, Long-tailed Weasels, Morgan County, Mule Deer, Summit County, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: adult, American Badger, autumn, baby, badger, badger burrow, badgers, canyon, Cervus canadensis, chipmunk, chipmunks, close up, cow, curious, cute, Elk, elks, fall, female, fence post, grazing, ground squirrel, ground squirrels, high Uintas, hillside, kissing, Least Chipmunk, Long-tailed Weasel, mammals, marmot, Marmota flaviventris, marmots, marsh, mountains, Mustela frenata, mustelids, Neotamias minimus, portrait, profile, roadside, rock, rock pile, rocks, rocky slope, shadow, spring, squirrel, squirrels, summer, summer coat, Taxidea taxus, Uinta Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus armatus, weasel, weasels, wetlands, wooden post, Yellow-bellied Marmot, young|

This morning I am sharing some photos of the mammals I loved finding, seeing, photographing and having in my viewfinder in 2022.

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West Desert Dark Morph Ferruginous Hawk

By Mia McPherson|2023-11-24T03:29:26-06:00November 21st, 2022|Categories: Birds, Ferruginous Hawks, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, autumn, Buteo regalis, Buteos, clouds, conifers, dark morph, desert, fall, fence post, Ferruginous Hawk, foot, foothills, hawk, hawks, lifting, mountain, mountains, peak, raptors, rocks, sky island mountains, snow, trees, wooden post|

Nearly three years have passed since I found, pointed out, and photographed this stunning dark morph Ferruginous Hawk in the West Desert of Utah.

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Immature Red-tailed Hawk In The West Desert

By Mia McPherson|2023-10-05T04:56:49-05:00September 11th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: Buteo jamaicensis, Buteos, feather, fence post, foothills, hawk, hawks, immature, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, looking, morning, perched, preening, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk, sky, sky island mountains, soaking up, summer, Tooele County, Utah, Utah Juniper, warmth, west desert, wooden post, young|

Last month while I wandered in the West Desert I found an immature Red-tailed Hawk perched on a wooden fence post in the foothills of some sky island mountains.

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Juvenile Green-tailed and Spotted Towhee Side By Side

By Mia McPherson|2022-07-10T05:21:54-05:00July 10th, 2022|Categories: Bird ID, Birds, Green-tailed Towhees, Morgan County, Salt Lake County, Spotted Towhees, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, chick, comparison, fence post, fledgling, Green-tailed Towhee, immature, Jordan River, juvenile, lichens, low light, male, mountains, perched, Pipilo chlorurus, Pipilo maculatus, riparian habitat, river, snow, sparrow, sparrows, Spotted Towhee, spring, summer, towhee, towhees, urban, willows, winter, wooden post, young|

Until two days ago I had never gotten photos of a juvenile Green-tailed and young Spotted Towhee in the same frame so I was thrilled when I saw them fly in.

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Summer Vesper Sparrow Photos

By Mia McPherson|2022-10-16T04:09:51-05:00July 7th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Utah, Vesper Sparrows, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, feathers, fence post, fluffing, fluffy, itch, looking, mountains, perched, Poocetes gramineus, scratching, singing, sparrow, sparrows, summer, Vesper Sparrow, wooden post|

Today my post is focused on a little brown bird with a wonderful song I photographed yesterday in the Wasatch Mountains. The LBB was a handsome Vesper Sparrow.

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West Desert Mourning Dove Images

By Mia McPherson|2023-09-12T02:37:57-05:00May 26th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Mourning Doves, Tooele County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, breeze, breezy, desert, dove, doves, fence post, gnarly, male, morning, Mourning Dove, perched, sky island mountains, spring, wooden post, Zenaida macroura|

This morning I am sharing three simple Mourning Dove images that I took two days ago out in the sky island mountains of Utah's West Desert.

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Lark Sparrow Photos Taken In The West Desert

By Mia McPherson|2022-06-05T05:14:06-05:00May 22nd, 2022|Categories: Birds, Lark Sparrows, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, Chondestes grammacus, desert, fence post, foothills, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, Lark Sparrow, metal post, mountains, perched, singing, sky, sparrow, sparrows, spring, Utah Juniper, west desert, wooden post|

I haven't shared any of my recent Lark Sparrow photos this spring so I thought I would remedy that by sharing some that I took out in the West Desert nine days ago.

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West Desert Mountain Bluebird

By Mia McPherson|2022-05-13T05:05:53-05:00May 13th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Mountain Bluebirds, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, bluebird, bluebirds, desert, fence post, foothills, male, Mountain Bluebird, perched, Sialia currucoides, sky island mountains, spring, thrush, thrushes, wooden post|

It is always lovely to have a male Mountain Bluebird like this one I found in the West Desert in my viewfinder because they rival the color of the sky overhead.

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Male Mountain Bluebird, Shadows And A Big Stick

By Mia McPherson|2022-04-19T05:06:57-05:00April 19th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Mountain Bluebirds, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, bird on a stick, bluebird, bluebirds, BOAS, desert, fence post, foothills, male, Mountain Bluebird, perched, shadows, Sialia currucoides, sky island mountains, spring, thrush, thrushes, wooden post|

I spent some time wandering in the West Desert yesterday morning and the only decent bird photos that I took were of this male Mountain Bluebird.

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Male Red-winged Blackbird In Front Of A Ranch Pond

By Mia McPherson|2022-04-12T04:41:31-05:00April 12th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Red-winged Blackbirds, Utah|Tags: Agelaius phoeniceus, blackbird, blackbirds, desert, fence post, male, perched, pond, ranch pond, ranchlands, Red-winged Blackbird, snow, spring, storm, water, wooden post|

I photographed this male Red-winged Blackbird in front of a ranch pond two days ago when it felt like spring in northern Utah. This morning there is snow on the ground.

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Late Winter Savannah Sparrow Photos

By Mia McPherson|2022-03-15T05:45:55-05:00March 15th, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Savannah Sparrows, Utah|Tags: adult, barb wire, ditch, fence, fence post, foraging, grass, grasses, metal post, Passerculus sandwichensis, perched, ranchlands, Savannah Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, winter|

Yesterday morning I was delighted to find a late winter Savannah Sparrow out in the open to photograph next to the road.

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Adult Male Prairie Merlin At Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|2024-02-15T03:52:05-06:00January 28th, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Merlins, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, desert, Falco columbarius, Falco columbarius richardsonii, falcon, falcons, fence post, flats, gate, male, Merlin, merlins, perched, prairie, raptors, red gate, winter, wooden post|

One of the birds I photographed yesterday at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge was an adult male Prairie Merlin that I spotted on a fence post close to the road.

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Squirrel Appreciation Day 2022

By Mia McPherson|2022-01-21T06:24:38-06:00January 21st, 2022|Categories: Box Elder County, Least Chipmunks, Morgan County, Summit County, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: baby, calling, canyon, chipmunk, chipmunks, desert, fence post, ground squirrel, ground squirrels, Least Chipmunk, lichen, lichens, mammals, marmot, Marmota flaviventris, marmots, mountains, Neotamias minimus, playing, pup, pups, rock, rocks, rodents, spring, squirrel, squirrels, stretching, summer, Uinta Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus armatus, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow-bellied Marmot, young|

January 21st is Squirrel Appreciation Day around the globe. There are many reasons to appreciate these furry, four legged, cute creatures.

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Ferruginous Hawk In Bright Morning Light

By Mia McPherson|2021-12-01T06:20:07-06:00December 1st, 2021|Categories: Birds, Ferruginous Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: autumn, birds of prey, Buteo regalis, Buteos, desert, fall, fence post, Ferruginous Hawk, foothills, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, light morph, morning light, raptors, wooden post, young|

I took this photo of a Ferruginous Hawk bathed in bright morning light back in October while I was out driving on dirt roads of the West Desert of Utah.

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Ferruginous Hawk In The Changing Light Of Dawn

By Mia McPherson|2021-10-22T05:30:28-05:00October 22nd, 2021|Categories: Birds, Ferruginous Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: autumn, birds of prey, Buteo regalis, Buteos, dawn, desert, fall, fence post, Ferruginous Hawk, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, light morph, morning, perched, raptors, wooden post|

The first bird photos that I took yesterday morning in the desert were of a Ferruginous Hawk perched on a fence post in pre-dawn light.

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On The Lookout For My First Of Season Rough-legged Hawk

By Mia McPherson|2022-04-26T09:25:16-05:00October 13th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Rough-legged Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, barb wire, birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, fence, fence post, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, light morph, male, mountains, perched, raptors, road, rock, rock pile, rocks, Rough-legged Hawk, snow, winter|

I am now on the lookout for my first of season Rough-legged Hawk. I hope to spot one soon.

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Changes At Farmington Bay WMA And Glover Pond

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-17T07:01:20-05:00October 8th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Conservation, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: autumn, blackbird, blackbirds, Brewer's Blackbird, calling, construction, Euphagus cyanocephalus, fall, feathers, fence post, freeway, Glover Pond, loss, male, noise, perched, pollution, pond, shaking, water, West Davis Corridor, wooden post|

Every year when I make my first trip to Farmington Bay WMA in the fall I dread the changes that inevitably happen.

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Red-tailed Hawk Pre-flight Poop Shot

By Mia McPherson|2021-09-25T05:44:58-05:00September 25th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, autumn, birds of prey, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteos, crapshoot, defecating, desert, fall, fence post, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, perched, poop, pooping, pre-flight, prior, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk, take off, wooden post|

When the Red-tailed Hawk took a pre-flight poop I thought I'd get my chance at those lift off and flight photos.

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Immature Light Morph Ferruginous Hawk

By Mia McPherson|2021-09-22T05:19:38-05:00September 22nd, 2021|Categories: Birds, Ferruginous Hawks|Tags: Buteo regalis, Buteos, desert, fence post, Ferruginous Hawk, flight, flying, ground, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, lift off, lifting off, light morph, looking, prey, raptors, summer, sunflowers, take off, taking off, Tooele County, Utah, west desert, wooden post, young|

Yesterday on the last full day of summer I found a couple of hawks in the West Desert including this immature light morph Ferruginous Hawk.

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Adult Least Chipmunk High In The Mountains

By Mia McPherson|2021-08-06T05:43:41-05:00August 6th, 2021|Categories: Least Chipmunks, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: canyon, chipmunk, chipmunks, close up, fence post, Least Chipmunk, mountains, Neotamias minimus, riparian habitat, summer, wooden post|

I haven't seen as many chipmunks this year as I normally do so when I spotted this adult Least Chipmunk on a fence post I wanted to focus on the little furball.

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Vesper Sparrow Looking Up At The Sky

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-07T10:41:32-06:00June 13th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Utah, Vesper Sparrows, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, fence post, mountains, perched, Poocetes gramineus, sagebrush steppe, sparrow, sparrows, spring, Vesper Sparrow, wooden post|

Friday morning I found this Vesper Sparrow perched on an old fence post next to a dusty road with another sparrow singing from the top of a sage about 100 feet away.

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Adult Savannah Sparrow in Summit County

By Mia McPherson|2022-03-14T17:20:25-05:00June 10th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Savannah Sparrows, Summit County, Utah|Tags: adult, farmlands, fence post, Passerculus sandwichensis, pasture, perched, ranchlands, Savannah Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, spring, valley, wooden post|

Earlier this week I photographed this adult Savannah Sparrow just outside the town of Kamas, Utah before heading up into the Uinta Mountains.

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Lark Sparrow In Golden Morning Light

By Mia McPherson|2021-06-04T05:29:30-05:00June 4th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Lark Sparrows, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, Chondestes grammacus, clouds, fence, fence post, fence posts, foothills, golden light, grasses, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, Lark Sparrow, mountains, perched, sky, sky island mountains, sparrow, sparrows, spring, Utah Juniper|

Two days ago I photographed this adult Lark Sparrow that I found perched on an old fence post in golden light in the West Desert of Tooele County.

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Recent Birds I’ve Found In The West Desert

By Mia McPherson|2024-02-26T10:14:55-06:00May 31st, 2021|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Lazuli Buntings, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, Warbling Vireos, West Desert, Western Kingbirds|Tags: adult, barbed wire, basking, branch, bunting, buntings, Buteos, canyon, fence, fence post, foothills, foraging, forest, hawk, hawks, House Wren, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, kingbird, kingbirds, Lazuli Bunting, male, mixed deciduous conifer forest, morning, mountains, Passerina amoena, perched, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk, sky, sky island mountains, spring, sun, Troglodytes aedon, Tyrannus verticalis, tyrant flycatchers, Utah Juniper, vireo, Vireo gilvus, vireos, Warbling Vireo, warmth, Western Kingbird, wild rose, wooden post, wren, wrens|

Last week I made two trips out to the West Desert and today I am sharing a medley of recent birds that I found while I was out there.

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West Desert Rock Wren Photos

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-31T16:06:50-05:00May 30th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Rock Wrens, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, back view, desert, early morning light, fence post, foothills, gnarly, juniper, Juniperus osteosperma, Rock Wren, Salpinctes obsoletus, singing, sky island mountains, spring, Utah Juniper, wooden post, wren, wrens|

I have been able to take more Rock Wren photos in the West Desert the last two times I have wandered out there.

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Subadult Peregrine Falcon

By Mia McPherson|2021-05-24T05:52:59-05:00May 24th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Peregrine Falcons, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult plumage, birds of prey, calling, desert, Falco peregrinus, falcon, falcons, fence post, First Spring, flight, flying, foothills, immature, juvenal plumage, lift off, lifting off, molt, molting, Peregrine Falcon, raptors, second year bird, sky, spring, sub-adult, subadult, take off, taking off, wooden post, young|

Last week before I found the Rock Wren I wrote about I also found a subadult Peregrine Falcon perched on a wooden post in the West Desert.

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