Uinta Mountains – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Tree Swallows Have Migrated Into Northern Utah

By Mia McPherson|March 25th, 2024|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, High Uintas, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Summit County, Tree Swallows, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Utah|Tags: adult, aspen, aspens, close up, female, forest, male, mountains, natural, nest, nest box, nesting, nesting box, nesting cavity, nesting season, perched, Populus tremuloides, portrait, Quaking Aspen, spring, Summit County, swallow, swallows, Tachycineta bicolor, Tree Swallow, tree trunk, Utah|

Over the weekend, I read on Facebook that Tree Swallows have migrated back into Northern Utah for their breeding season. I am so excited about that news!

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Weidemeyer’s Admiral Butterfly In The Uinta Mountains

By Mia McPherson|August 19th, 2023|Categories: Summit County, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Utah, Video, Weidemeyer's Admiral Butterflies|Tags: adult, butterflies, butterfly, forest, Limenitis weidemeyerii, mountains, perched, resting, summer, Utah, Weidemeyer's Admiral, Weidemeyer's Admiral Butterfly, woodlands|

I was delighted to photograph this Weidemeyer's Admiral butterfly two days ago while I was with April Olson high in the stunning forests of the Uinta Mountains.

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Some Mammals I Loved In 2022

By Mia McPherson|December 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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Yellow-bellied Marmot Photos From The Uinta Mountains

By Mia McPherson|June 14th, 2022|Categories: Summit County, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Utah, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: adult, close up, grass, grasses, ground squirrels, mammals, marmot, Marmota flaviventris, marmots, mountains, rock, rocky slope, sage, sagebrush, sky, spring, Yellow-bellied Marmot|

Last week I showed my friend Steve Mirror Lake Highway in the Uinta Mountains and I was able to put him on a lifer Yellow-bellied Marmot.

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Green-tailed Towhee In The Uinta Mountains

By Mia McPherson|June 9th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Green-tailed Towhees, Summit County, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Utah|Tags: adult, Artemisia tridentata, Big Sagebrush, close up, Green-tailed Towhee, Mimus polyglottos, mountains, Northern Mockingbird, perched, Pipilo chlorurus, portrait, sage, sagebrush, sparrow, sparrows, spring, towhee, towhees|

While photographing Yellow-bellied Marmots in the high Uinta Mountains two days ago a Green-tailed Towhee popped into my view on top of a mound of sage.

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Uinta Chipmunks In The High Uinta Mountains

By Mia McPherson|June 8th, 2021|Categories: Summit County, Uinta Chipmunks, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Utah|Tags: adult, Bald Mountain overlook, boulders, chipmunk, chipmunks, forest, grooming, hidden forest chipmunk, high Uintas, lichen, male, mountains, Neotamias umbrinus, pair, resting, rocks, scenery, spring, tree trunk, Uinta Chipmunk|

I spent yesterday morning traveling Mirror Lake Highway in the Uinta Mountains and came home with a few photos of Uinta Chipmunks.

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Tree Swallows Have Returned

By Mia McPherson|March 23rd, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Idaho, Modoc Creek, Summit County, Targhee National Forest, Tree Swallows, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Utah|Tags: adult, aspen, flock, forest, gathering, low light, male, marsh, migration, mountains, nest, nest boxes, nesting cavity, perched, phragmites, spring, swallow, swallows, Tachycineta bicolor, Tree Swallow, wetlands|

A little birdie told me that Tree Swallows returned to the marshes at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge about the middle of this month.

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Tree Swallows Nesting In The Uinta Mountains

By Mia McPherson|May 25th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Tree Swallows, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Uinta Wasatch Cache National Forest, Utah|Tags: aspen, breeding season, chicks, feeding, female, forest, male, mountains, nest, nest entrance, nest opening, nesting cavity, nesting season, Quaking Aspen, sapsuckers, swallow, swallows, Tachycineta bicolor, teleconverter, tree, Tree Swallow, trees|

Tree Swallows and other birds should be nesting in the Uinta Mountains by now and I am itching to hop into my Jeep to drive up there to find them.

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Visions Of Spring And Nesting House Wrens

By Mia McPherson|January 30th, 2020|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Summit County, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Utah|Tags: adult, aspen, cavity, clinging, forest, House Wren, nest, nest opening, nesting, nesting behavior, nesting cavity, nesting season, nesting tree, peeking, Populus tremuloides, Quaking Aspen, spring, tree, Troglodytes aedon, wren, wrens|

These nesting House Wren photos were taken two years ago at the end of May high up in the Uinta Mountains where stands of aspens are used as nesting trees.

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Over the Shoulder Look from a House Wren – Plus an Illusion

By Mia McPherson|August 2nd, 2018|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Summit County, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Utah|Tags: adult, branches, forest, hidden face, House Wren, illusion, low light, over the shoulder, trees, Troglodytes aedon, wren, wrens|

There are times I enjoy finding hidden faces in clouds, rocks, trees or other natural features and I saw one in this House Wren photo.

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Photographing Nesting House Wrens in the High Uintas

By Mia McPherson|June 2nd, 2018|Categories: House Wrens, Nesting Birds, Summit County, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Utah|Tags: adult, aspen, cavity, cavity nesters, feather, forest, frustrations in photography, high Uintas, House Wren, Mirror Lake Highway, mountains, nest, nest opening, nesting, nesting behavior, nesting cavity, nesting season, photographing, Populus tremuloides, Quaking Aspen, secondary cavity nesters, Troglodytes aedon, wren, wrens|

Two days ago I spent time photographing nesting House Wrens in the high Uintas near Mirror Lake Highway, of interest to me is that two years ago I photographed Red-naped Sapsuckers using this same nesting cavity.

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Why a Moose should not Kiss a Porcupine

By Mia McPherson|August 8th, 2012|Categories: Moose, Summit County, Uinta Mountains, Utah|Tags: adult, Alces alces, cow, female, forest, grasses, injury, kiss, Moose, mountains, Porcupine, porcupine quills, Summit County, Utah|

Why would a Moose (Alces alces) kiss a Porcupine? I'm really not sure, perhaps this Moose cow was curious about a slow-moving Porcupine on the ground and got a touch too close.

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