Swans, Ducks and Geese – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Hen Common Merganser At Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|March 1st, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Common Mergansers, Utah|Tags: adult, bath, bathing, Common Merganser, diving ducks, duck, ducks, female, flapping, hen, ice, ice shelf, icy, marsh, merganser, mergansers, Mergus merganser, snow, water, wetlands, wings, winter|

Last month I photographed this hen Common Merganser in a small spot of open water next to an ice shelf at Bear River MBR. It was a very cold morning.

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Canada Geese Courtship: A Prelude To Spring

By Mia McPherson|February 18th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Canada Geese, Utah|Tags: adult, Bear River, Branta canadensis, Canada Geese, Canada Goose, frozen, geese, goose, grass, grasses, guard, ice, ranchlands, resting, river, river bottom, riverbank, snow, standing, waterfowl, winter|

February might seem early but I'm already noticing that Canada Geese are pairing up at Bear River MBR which is a prelude to the arrival of spring.

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Dapper Drake Common Merganser At Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|February 17th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Common Mergansers, Utah|Tags: adult, bathing, breeding plumage, Common Merganser, diving ducks, drake, ice, male, marsh, merganser, mergansers, Mergus merganser, water, wetlands, winter|

Today I am sharing photos of a dapper drake Common Merganser in his finest breeding plumage that I took four mornings ago at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

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Great Goldeneye-Merganser Showdown: Who Won the Shad?

By Mia McPherson|February 15th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Common Goldeneyes, Common Mergansers, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: Ardea herodias, bill, Bucephala clangula, chasing, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, feet, female, fish, following, Great Blue Heron, hen, ice, legs, male, marsh, Mergus merganser, prey, running, shad, sliding, slipping, thin, wading birds, winter|

On my last trip to Bear River MBR I saw and photographed a Goldeneye-Merganser showdown where the prize that was being fought over was a shiny shad.

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Calling Mallard Drake In The City

By Mia McPherson|February 9th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Mallards, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: Anas platyrhynchos, bill, calling, city, dabbling ducks, drake, duck, ducks, male, Mallard, mallards, open, pond, urban, water, waterfowl, winter|

I enjoy photographing even the most abundant ducks at my local city ponds. I simply couldn't resist taking images of this calling Mallard drake two days ago.

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Bear River MBR: Winter Haven For Tundra Swans

By Mia McPherson|February 7th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Tundra Swans, Utah|Tags: adult, azure, Cygnus columbianus, flight, flying, immature, marsh, sky, swan, swans, Tundra Swan, Tundra Swans, waterfowl, wetlands, winter, young|

I had hoped that this morning would be sunny so I could head to Bear River MBR to see, listen to, and photograph Tundra Swans on the marshes.

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Urban Ring-necked Duck Hen

By Mia McPherson|February 5th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Ring-necked Ducks, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: Aythya collaris, diving ducks, duck, ducks, female, hen, pond, Ring-necked Duck, urban, water, waterfowl, winter|

Just a simple urban Ring-necked Duck hen photo this morning. I photographed this female diving duck at my local pond exactly five years ago today.

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1st Winter Common Goldeneye Drake With A Crawdad

By Mia McPherson|January 22nd, 2023|Categories: Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: 1st winter, Bucephala clangula, Common Goldeneye, crawdad, crayfish, diving ducks, drake, duck, first winter, goldeneye, goldeneyes, male, ponf, urban, water, winter|

Just a quick post this morning of a photo of a 1st winter Common Goldeneye drake with a crawdad in his bill at my neighborhood pond taken last year.

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Urban Drake Common Merganser Photos

By Mia McPherson|January 20th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Common Mergansers, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: breeding plumage, Common Merganser, dive, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, male, merganser, mergansers, Mergus merganser, neighborhood, pond, Salt Lake County, urban, Utah, water, waterfowl, winter|

I can be way too picky when it comes to sharing my images. Today I'll explain why with these urban drake Common Merganser photos taken at my local pond.

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Simply A Duck On A Rock

By Mia McPherson|January 19th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Mallards, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: Anas platyrhynchos, dabbling ducks, drake, duck, ducks, grasses, male, Mallard, mallards, pond, rock, snow, urban, winter|

I headed down to my neighborhood ponds yesterday morning while there was some sunshine and my favorite image of the day was simply a duck on a rock.

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Ruddy Duck Drake Close To Home

By Mia McPherson|January 17th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Ruddy Ducks, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, breeding plumage, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, male, Oxyura jamaicensis, pond, Ruddy Duck, transitioning, urban, water, winter|

The last time I was at my neighborhood pond I spotted a Ruddy Duck drake out in the middle of the water who was starting to transition into breeding plumage.

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First Winter Hooded Merganser At An Urban Pond

By Mia McPherson|January 8th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Hooded Mergansers, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: dive, diving ducks, duck, ducks, first winter, Hooded Merganser, Lophodytes cucullatus, merganser, mergansers, pond, urban, water, waterfowl, winter|

A few days ago I had the opportunity to photograph this first winter Hooded Merganser at an urban pond that isn't far from where I live after a heavy snow.

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Dapper Mallard Drake In Snow

By Mia McPherson|January 5th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Mallards, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: Anas platyrhynchos, dabbling ducks, dapper, drake, duck, ducks, male, Mallard, mallards, snow, snowy, urban, waterfowl, winter|

After I photographed the handsome Gadwall drake that I shared yesterday I couldn't resist taking images of this alert and dapper Mallard drake in the snow.

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My 2022 Year In Review

By Mia McPherson|December 31st, 2022|Categories: American Kestrels, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Box Elder County, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Golden Eagles, Great Horned Owls, Horned Grebes, Morgan County, Ring-billed Gulls, Rock Wrens, Ruffed Grouse, Tundra Swans, Utah, Warbling Vireos, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: adult, Amelanchier utahensis, American Kestrel, Aquila chrysaetos, autumn, background, berries, Bewick's Swan, bill, birds of prey, Black-billed Magpie, blooming, blooms, blossoms, Bonasa umbellus, boulder, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Bubo virginianus, building, canyon, close up, corvids, Cygnus columbianus, Cygnus columbianus bewickii, Davis County, desert, dirt, eagle, eagles, Falco sparverius, falcon, falcons, fall, farmlands, female, fledgling, flight, flock, flowering, flowering shrub, flying, forest edge, fruiting shrub, fruits, fruting shrubs, Golden Eagle, gorget, Great Horned Owl, grebe, grebes, grouse, gull, gulls, Horned Grebe, hummingbird, hummingbirds, immature, juvenile, kestrel, kestrels, Larus delawarensis, lichen, lores, magpie, magpies, male, marsh, mountains, nest, nest box, nesting, nonbreeding plumage, owl, owls, perched, Pica hudsonia, Podiceps auritus, raptors, rare, reflection, Ring-billed Gull, riparian habitat, road, roadside, rock, Rock Wren, rocks, Ruffed Grouse, Salpinctes obsoletus, Selasphorus platycercus, serviceberries, serviceberry, Setophaga petechia, shrub, spring, stink-eye, summer, swan, swans, thicket, tree, Tundra Swans, Utah, Utah Serviceberry, vagrant, warbler, warblers, water, waterbirds, waterfowl, wetlands, willow, willow thicket, willows, winter, winter plumage, wood-warbler, wood-warblers, wren, wrens, Yellow Warbler, young|

On this last day of the year it is time for my annual 2022 Year in Review post. In some ways 2022 has been great for me and in others not so good.

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Made It Through Christmas And I Am Just Ducky

By Mia McPherson|December 26th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Mallards, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: Anas platyrhynchos, bill, dabbling ducks, duck, ducks, ducky, feather, female, hen, ice, Mallard, mallards, pond, urban, waterfowl, winter|

Well, I made it through the Christmas part of the holidays this year in one piece and I am feeling just ducky.

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Mallard Hen On Silky Water

By Mia McPherson|December 20th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Mallards, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Anas platyrhynchos, autumn, dabbling ducks, duck, ducks, fall, female, hen, Mallard, pond, reflection, silky water, tones, urban, water, waterfowl|

While at one of my local ponds two days ago, the only birds I photographed were ducks. This Mallard hen floating on silky water caught my eyes.

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First Winter Hooded Merganser

By Mia McPherson|December 19th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Hooded Mergansers, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, diving ducks, duck, ducks, fall, female, first winter, Glover Pond, hen, Hooded Merganser, ice, Lophodytes cucullatus, marsh, merganser, pond, preening, reflection, urban, Utah, water, waterfowl, wetlands|

Two days ago at one of my local ponds I was able to take only a few photos of a Hooded Merganser before it disappeared from my line of sight.

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Immature Male Common Goldeneye And Catfish

By Mia McPherson|December 16th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Common Goldeneyes, San Juan County, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, Bucephala clangula, catfish, Common Goldeneye, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, fall, first winter, fish, food, immature, look, male, over the shoulder, pond, prey, urban, water, waterfowl, young|

On this day two years ago, I photographed this immature male Common Goldeneye with a catfish at the pond in my neighborhood. It was a chilly, wintry afternoon.

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Birds On Ice In Northern Utah

By Mia McPherson|December 14th, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Canada Geese, Common Ravens, Ring-billed Gulls, Salt Lake County, Trumpeter Swans, Tundra Swans, Utah|Tags: adult, Branta canadensis, Canada Geese, Canada Goose, Common Raven, corvids, Corvus corax, Cygnus buccinator, Cygnus columbianus, feathers, geese, goose, gull, gulls, ice, Larus delawarensis, marsh, phragmites, phrags, pond, raven, ravens, Ring-billed Gull, shadow, stretching, swan, swans, Trumpeter Swan, Tundra Swan, urban, vegetation, walking, wary, waterfowl, wetlands, wings, winter|

This morning I'm sharing photos of five bird species that I find on ice during the coldest months of the year in marsh and urban locations.

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Canada Goose Tracks In Snow

By Mia McPherson|December 8th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Canada Geese, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: autumn, Branta canadensis, Canada Geese, Canada Goose, cloudy sky, fall, flight, flying, footprint, footprints, geese, goose, high key, snow, track, tracks, urban, waterfowl|

While I was out walking yesterday, I stopped at a neighborhood pond and saw fresh Canada Goose tracks in the snow. I felt that I had to take photos of them.

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Bright Winter Light VS A Winter Whiteout

By Mia McPherson|December 3rd, 2022|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Davis County, Tundra Swans, Utah|Tags: adult, Antelope Island Causeway, back view, bright, Cygnus columbianus, field of snow, fog, ice, light, marsh, snow, standing, swan, swans, Tundra Swan, waterfowl, wetlands, white on white, white out, winter|

Earlier this year I photographed a Tundra Swan in bright winter light that today I am comparing to another swan image I took in winter whiteout conditions.

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Snowy Wasatch Mountain Range Views

By Mia McPherson|November 30th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Canada Geese, Salt Lake County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|

It was a gorgeous afternoon yesterday, so I had to go outside and take a walk while admiring the views of the snow-covered Wasatch Mountain Range.

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Variant Canada Goose With A White Forehead

By Mia McPherson|November 25th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Canada Geese, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: abberant, adult, autumn, Branta canadensis, brow, calling, Canada Geese, Canada Goose, fall, forehead, geese, goose, normal, plumage aberration, pond, urban, variant, water, waterfowl|

This week, while photographing birds at my neighborhood pond, I came upon an uncommon Canada Goose with a white forehead and an oddly shaped cheek patch.

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Three Drake Redhead Photos

By Mia McPherson|November 24th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, Aythya americana, bill, breeding plumage, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, fall, foot, male, pond, Redhead, redheads, shaking, stretching, tipping, urban, water|

This morning I am sharing three drake Redhead photos that I took at my local pond two evenings ago before the golden light of sunset had started to glow.

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Drake Mallard And Reflections

By Mia McPherson|November 19th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Mallards, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Anas platyrhynchos, autumn, Cottonwood, dabbling ducks, drake, duck, ducks, fall, leaf, light pole, male, Mallard, mallards, reflections, urban, water, waterfowl|

This morning I am sharing a simple drake Mallard photo taken at my local pond. I liked this image because of the reflections of the duck, light pole and leaf.

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Tundra Swan Framed By Phrags

By Mia McPherson|November 17th, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Tundra Swans, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, Cygnus columbianus, fall, framed, ice, marsh, phragmites, phrags, swan, swans, Tundra Swan, water, waterfowl, wetlands|

When I explored the marshes at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge on Monday I was able to take photos of one Tundra Swan framed by phrags from the dirt road.

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Canada Geese On A Snowy Day

By Mia McPherson|November 13th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Canada Geese, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Branta canadensis, Canada Geese, cloudy, geese, goose, low light, pond, snow, snowy, urban, water, waterfowl, winter|

After the hottest summer on record here in the Salt Lake Valley, I am looking forward to photographing Canada Geese on snowy days close to home.

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My First Of Season Common Goldeneye

By Mia McPherson|November 12th, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Common Goldeneyes, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: autumn, Bear River, Bucephala clangula, Common Goldeneye, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, fall, first of season, lifting off, male, pond, preening, river, taking off, urban, water, waterfowl, wetlands, winter|

I found my first of season Common Goldeneye near a stand of rushes while walking around a local pond after a light skiff of snow had fallen overnight.

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Hen Canvasback Preening Her Belly

By Mia McPherson|November 9th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Canvasbacks, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Aythya valisineria, belly, Canvasback, diving ducks, duck, ducks, feathers, female, hen, pond, preening, urban, water, winter|

I took this photo of a hen Canvasback preening her belly feathers at my local pond back in January of 2021 and thought I would share it this morning.

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Redhead Ducks At My Local Pond

By Mia McPherson|November 7th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Aythya americana, drake, duck, ducks, female, flapping, hen, male, pond, Redhead, shadowed, urban, urban birds, water, waterfowl, wings, winter|

Yesterday morning I took a brief walk at my local pond and was thrilled to see a small flock of Redhead ducks resting together on the surface of the pond.

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