Actitis macularia – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Happy Father’s Day 2022

By Mia McPherson|June 19th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, canyon, creek, dads, incubating, mountains, perched, riparian habitat, sandpiper, sandpipers, shorebirds, Spotted Sandpiper, spring, stump, water|

Why would I select a sandpiper photograph to express my Happy Father's Day wishes to all the dads out there?

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Hatch Year Spotted Sandpiper at Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|August 10th, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Spotted Sandpipers, Utah|Tags: Actitis macularia, hatch year, immature, marsh, plumage phase, river, rocks, sandpiper, sandpipers, Spotted Sandpiper, summer, water, wetlands, young|

I was looking through my older images and came across this one of a hatch year Spotted Sandpiper on some rocks at Bear River MBR.

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Spotted Sandpiper Chick Photos

By Mia McPherson|July 26th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Spotted Sandpipers|Tags: Actitis macularia, canyon, chick, creek, immature, juvenile, mountains, riparian habitat, sandpiper, sandpipers, shorebirds, Spotted Sandpiper, summer, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, water, young|

I haven't seen any Spotted Sandpiper chicks in a location in the Wasatch Mountains where I normally see them at this time of the year but I have these from last summer.

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One Spotted Sandpiper That Is No More

By Mia McPherson|July 7th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, canyon, creek bed, dry creek bed, foraging, mountains, riparian habitat, sandpiper, sandpipers, shorebirds, Spotted Sandpiper|

I watched as the mink dashed across the shallow creek with the sandpiper in its jaws, climbed over a log, and out of my sight. That Spotted Sandpiper is no more.

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Female Spotted Sandpiper Post-coital Photo

By Mia McPherson|July 2nd, 2021|Categories: Birds, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, aerial chase, behavior, breeding behavior, breeding display, canyon, creek, female, ground chase, mating, mating behavior, mountains, one wing up, post copulation, post-coital, postcoital, posture, sandpiper, sandpipers, shore, shorebirds, Spotted Sandpiper, summer, water|

What intrigued me the most was the post-coital posture of the female Spotted Sandpiper where she kept one wing raised for a long period of time.

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Spotted Sandpiper Foraging In White Water Crowfoot

By Mia McPherson|June 20th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildflowers|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, aquatic wildflower, canyon, Common Water-Crowfoot, creek, foraging, mountains, native, prey, Ranunculus aquatilis, sandpiper, sandpipers, Spotted Sandpiper, spring, water, White Water Buttercup, White Water-crowfoot, wildflower|

Two days ago I photographed an adult Spotted Sandpiper foraging in Common Water-Crowfoot in a creek in the Wasatch Mountains.

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My First Of Season Spotted Sandpiper Photos

By Mia McPherson|May 8th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, breeding plumage, calling, canyon, creek, Definitive Alternate Plumage, Definitive Basic Plumage, mountains, nonbreeding plumage, perched, sandpiper, sandpipers, shorebirds, Spotted Sandpiper, spring, stump, water|

I took my first of season Spotted Sandpiper photos yesterday morning high in the Wasatch Mountains as I sat in my Jeep next to a creek.

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Spring And Summer With A Belted Kingfisher Family

By Mia McPherson|December 23rd, 2020|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, Barn Swallow, Belted Kingfisher, bill defect, canyon, chick, creek, defensive, defensive behavior, defensive posture, female, fish, kingfisher, kingfishers, male, Megaceryle alcyon, mountains, perch, perched, prey, shaking, Spotted Sandpiper, stream, Summit County, swallow, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, wildflowers|

I was totally unaware on that April morning that I would be photographing a Belted Kingfisher family for several months.

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Swimming Spotted Sandpiper Chick Photos

By Mia McPherson|July 31st, 2020|Categories: Birds, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, alpine creek, canyon, chick, creek, immature, juvenile, male, mountains, parentage, polyandry, sandpiper, sandpipers, shorebirds, Spotted Sandpiper, summer, Summit County, swimming, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, water, young|

I was over the moon to be able to take these photos of the young Spotted Sandpiper swimming across the alpine creek because I've never had the opportunity to do so before.

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Focusing On Spotted Sandpiper Chicks

By Mia McPherson|July 29th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: Actitis macularia, alpine creek, canyon, chick, chicks, creek, immature, juvenile, mountains, sandpiper, sandpipers, shorebirds, Spotted Sandpiper, water, young|

Yesterday morning the first birds I spotted in the high country of the Wasatch Mountains were two tiny, butt bouncing Spotted Sandpiper chicks foraging on their own.

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Adult Spotted Sandpiper Walking On An Exposed Creek Bed

By Mia McPherson|July 6th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, canyon, creek, creek bed, mountains, sandpiper, sandpipers, shadow, Spotted Sandpiper, walking|

I haven't seen any Spotted Sandpiper chicks so far this breeding season but that doesn't mean they haven't hatched yet.

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Adult Spotted Sandpiper – Small In The Frame

By Mia McPherson|February 7th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, branch, branches, creek, fall colors, late summer, male, perched, polyandry, probable male, sandpiper, sandpipers, shorebirds, Spotted Sandpiper, summer|

I don't often see Spotted Sandpipers perched in trees so I was enchanted when this one landed on the bare branches that hung over a slow flowing creek.

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Photographing Young Spotted Sandpiper Chicks

By Mia McPherson|July 31st, 2019|Categories: Birds, Nesting Birds, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildlife Ethics|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, bouncing, calling, chicks, creek, creek bed, foraging, grasses, green, photograph, photographing, sandpiper, sandpipers, shorebird, shorebirds, Spotted Sandpiper, walking, water, water's edge, willows, young|

I was able to get back out into the field yesterday and I had a marvelous time photographing young Spotted Sandpiper chicks and learning more about their behaviors near a creek in the Wasatch Mountains.

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Tiny Spotted Sandpiper Chicks Learning About Their World

By Mia McPherson|July 24th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: Actitis macularia, alpine creek, canyon, chick, creek, dainty, immature, juvenile, mountains, sandpiper, sandpipers, shorebirds, Spotted Sandpiper, summer, tiny, young|

I was excited and enchanted by seeing and photographing at least two Spotted Sandpiper chicks yesterday morning near a creek up in the Wasatch Mountains.

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Adult Spotted Sandpiper At Water’s Edge

By Mia McPherson|June 19th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, breeding plumage, canyon, creek, mountains, sandpiper, sandpipers, shorebirds, Spotted Sandpiper, spring|

I only had this Spotted Sandpiper in my view for about 24 seconds and I'd say more than half of that was spent flying around so I am glad that I was able to take this photo at all.

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Adult Spotted Sandpiper On The Weber River

By Mia McPherson|May 5th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, breeding plumage, log, river, sandpiper, sandpipers, shorebirds, song, Spotted Sandpiper, spring, Weber River|

Two days ago while near the Weber River up in Summit County I heard a familiar sound and I knew from that sound that a Spotted Sandpiper was nearby.

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Spotted Sandpiper On The Gulf Coast – Thinking Back On Warmer Days

By Mia McPherson|January 7th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Spotted Sandpipers|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, coast, coastal, Gulf Coast, inlet, nonbreeding plumage, oyster bed, oysters, sandpiper, sandpipers, shorebird, shorebirds, Spotted Sandpiper, water|

This morning I'm thinking back on warmer days where I took photos of Spotted Sandpipers on the Gulf Coast as they scurried among those oyster beds looking for food and somehow I feel just a little bit warmer looking at this photo and the howling wind doesn't seem quite so loud.

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Teetering Spotted Sandpiper at Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|May 5th, 2017|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Spotted Sandpipers, Utah|Tags: Actitis macularia, bouncing, sandpipers, shorebirds, song, sound, Spotted Sandpiper, teetering|

The movement and bird that caught my eye was a Spotted Sandpiper teetering on a rock right next to the water. I adore Spotted Sandpipers so I just had to take images of the butt bouncing bird.

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An Alert Spotted Sandpiper in Nonbreeding Plumage

By Mia McPherson|February 7th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Spotted Sandpipers|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, alert, coast, coastal, nonbreeding plumage, rip rap, sandpiper, sandpipers, seawall, shorebirds, Spotted Sandpiper, winter|

This alert Spotted Sandpiper was photographed at Fort De Soto County Park in January of 2009 as it walked down some rip rap towards the water.

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Spotted Sandpiper in the Targhee National Forest

By Mia McPherson|June 26th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Clark County, Idaho, Spotted Sandpipers, Targhee National Forest|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, breeding plumage, creek, forest, sandpiper, sandpipers, shorebird, shorebirds, Spotted Sandpiper, water|

These Spotted Sandpiper images are from my last trip to Idaho and were taken near a creek in the Targhee National Forest.

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Spots before my eyes – Spotted Sandpipers that is

By Mia McPherson|July 29th, 2013|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Montana, Pinellas County, Spotted Sandpipers|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, breeding plumage, creek, nonbreeding plumage, Pinellas County, rip rap, sandpiper, sandpipers, Spotted Sandpiper, West Fork Blacktail Deer Creek|

So I finally have images of the breeding plumage of this small shorebird that show the spots that gave this bird the name Spotted Sandpiper!

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Spot the Sandpiper on the Seawall

By Mia McPherson|May 5th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Spotted Sandpipers|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, coast, coastal, Gulf Coast, nonbreeding plumage, sandpiper, sandpipers, shorebirds, Spotted Sandpiper, winter|

It really isn't too hard to spot this Spotted Sandpiper on the seawall, I just thought it was a catchy title. I saw my FOY (first of year) Spotted Sandpiper this past week and that got me excited.

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Shorebirds: Spotted Sandpipers

By Mia McPherson|April 10th, 2011|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Spotted Sandpipers|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, bird ID, birds, coast, coastal, fluffed up, Gulf, Gulf of Mexico, nonbreeding plumage, oysters, rip rap, sandpiper, sandpipers, seawall, shorebirds, shoreline, Spotted Sandpiper, winter|

Spotted Sandpipers are fun to watch as they walk along the shoreline as they teeter, bob and bounce their rear ends up and down.

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