Aythya americana – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Resting Redhead Drake On An Urban Pond

By Mia McPherson|December 17th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Aythya americana, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, male, orange eye, pond, Redhead, resting, Salt Lake County, urban, Utah, water, winter|

Today I am sharing a simple photo of a resting Redhead drake that I saw at my local pond two days ago. The red-headed duck appeared to be keeping an eye on me.

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Fall Redhead Drake Photos

By Mia McPherson|November 23rd, 2023|Categories: Birds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, Aythya americana, bill, breeding plumage, diving ducks, drake, drink, duck, ducks, duo, fall, fight, fighting, food, full, male, park, pond, Redhead, Redhead Duck, reflections, swimming, urban, water|

On a cold morning two days ago, I had two Redhead drakes in my viewfinder at my local pond. the light was lovely and so were the ducks.

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Spring Drake Redhead In A Dive

By Mia McPherson|May 27th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Aythya americana, dive, diving, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, male, park, pond, Redhead, spring, urban, water|

I meant to share this photo of a Drake Redhead diving weeks ago, but when the loons arrived at my local pond, I completely forgot that I had processed it.

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Mix Of Urban Birds Close To Home

By Mia McPherson|April 10th, 2023|Categories: American Robins, Birds, Double-crested Cormorants, Red-winged Blackbirds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Savannah Sparrows, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Utah|Tags: accipiter, Accipiter striatus, Accipiters, adult, Agelaius phoeniceus, American Robin, Aythya americana, basketball backstop, blackbird, blackbirds, branches, cattail, close up, cormorant, cormorants, curb, Double-crested Cormorant, drake, duck, ducks, edge, habitat, hawks, immature, landing, male, Nannopterum auritus, neighborhood, park, Passerculus sandwichensis, perched, pond, portrait, raptors, Red-winged Blackbird, Redhead, redheads, robin, robins, Savannah Sparrow, Sharp-shinned Hawk, sky, small in frame, snow, sparrow, sparrows, splash, splashy, spring, stinkeye, thrush, thrushes, tree, Turdus migratorius, urban, water, waterbirds, waterfowl, young|

This mix of urban birds were taken over a two day period close to home. Birds, no matter where they are, bring me joy, happiness, and even laughter.

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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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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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Photographing Winter Birds

By Mia McPherson|January 15th, 2021|Categories: American Coots, Bald Eagles, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Canvasbacks, Common Goldeneyes, Common Mergansers, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great-tailed Grackles, Mallards, Pied-billed Grebes, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, American Coot, Anas platyrhynchos, Aythya americana, Aythya valisineria, Bald Eagle, birds of prey, Black-crowned Night Heron, breeding plumage, Bucephala clangula, Canvasback, chase, close up, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, coot, coots, dabbling ducks, dicks, displaying, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, eagle, eagles, female, fight, fighting, first winter, flight, flying, food, frisky, Fulica americana, goldeneye, goldeneyes, grackle, grackles, Great-tailed Grackle, grebe, grebes, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, heron, herons, immature, male, mallards, marsh, merganser, mergansers, Mergus merganser, night heron, night herons, Nycticorax nycticorax, Pied-billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps, pond, portrait, prey, Quiscalus mexicanus, raptors, Redhead, redheads, swimming, wading birds, water, waterfowl, weather loach, winter, young|

I spent a couple of hours yesterday photographing winter birds at Farmington Bay WMA and closer to home in the morning and afternoon.

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Focusing On Winter Redheads

By Mia McPherson|December 11th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: aquatic vegetation, Aythya americana, diving ducks, duck, ducks, evening, feeding, first winter, late evening, low light, pond, Redhead, redhead ducks, redheads, resting, water|

Why were the mallards sticking close to this Redhead? That was because she was diving down into the pond and bringing up aquatic vegetation to feed on and the mallards were stealing bits of it from her.

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Angry Looking Redhead Drake

By Mia McPherson|January 18th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: angry, Aythya americana, cloudy, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, eating, gray, low light, male, park, pond, Redhead, snow, snow storm, storm, urban, vegetation, water, waterfowl|

This Redhead isn't "angry" at all but it does look angry to my eyes and this morning I'm feeling about as angry as this duck looks. I'll explain but first I have to give a bit more information about how my mornings start.

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Hen Redhead With White Feathers On Her Face

By Mia McPherson|November 22nd, 2018|Categories: Birds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, Aythya americana, diving ducks, duck, ducks, fall, female, hen, park, pond, Progressive Graying, Redhead, urban, water, waterfowl, white on head, White-headed Variant, wing flapping, winter|

Over the years that I have spent time photographing at my local pond I have seen a few odd ducks including hen Redheads with white feathers on their faces where they should be a soft brown and they pique my interest every time I view them through my lens.

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Drake Redhead Photos Taken in Different Lighting Conditions

By Mia McPherson|July 30th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, afternoon, Aythya americana, clear, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, low light, male, morning, pond, Redhead, snow, snowy, urban, waterfowl, winter|

I enjoy viewing the image of the drake Redhead on the snowy January morning just as much as the drake Redhead photo on a clear February afternoon, they both show the ducks doing what ducks do no matter what the weather is doing.

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Drake Redhead Flapping His Wings On a February Afternoon

By Mia McPherson|February 22nd, 2018|Categories: Birds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Aythya americana, breeding plumage, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, flapping, male, pond, Redhead, urban, water, waterfowl, wings, winter|

I've been seeing Redheads at my local pond over the winter but most of the time they have stayed on the other side of the pond so having this one up a bit closer and flapping his wings was a delight.

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Drake Redhead Courtship Display

By Mia McPherson|February 6th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Aythya americana, behavior, courting, courtship display, diving ducks, drake, ducks, Head-throw, Kinked-Neck display, male, mating behavior, Redhead, urban, waterfowl, winter|

I'm glad that I made the trip down to the pond because I was able to photograph a drake Redhead exhibiting courtship display behavior several times as he tried to impress the hen that was nearby.

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Winter Redhead Drakes in Northern Utah

By Mia McPherson|November 14th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Aythya americana, breeding plumage, close up, diving ducks, drakes, duck, ducks, male, marsh, Redhead, urban, water, wetlands, wing flapping, winter|

Redhead drakes are more colorful than the hens and I always enjoy having them in my viewfinder because of their cinnamon colored heads, their bright orange eyes and their tri-colored bills.

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Gulls, Ducks and Geese in a Snow Storm

By Mia McPherson|January 22nd, 2017|Categories: Birds, California Gulls, Canada Geese, Common Goldeneyes, Mallards, Redheads, Ring-billed Gulls, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: Anas platyrhynchos, Aythya americana, Branta canadensis, Bucephala clangula, California Gull, Canada Geese, Common Goldeneye, Larus californicus, Larus delawarensis, Mallard, Redhead, Ring-billed Gull, snow flakes, snow storm, snowflakes, snowy, snowy day|

I spent about 40 minutes photographing the gulls, ducks and geese in the snow storm here in northern Utah yesterday and had a lot of fun doing it.

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Redhead Drakes

By Mia McPherson|December 12th, 2016|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Aythya americana, breeding plumage, close up, drake, duck, ducks, male, marsh, pond, portrait, Redhead, refuge, spring, urban, waterfowl, wetlands, winter|

This Redhead drake photographed at the refuge in his breeding plumage sure stood out well from the water that was reflecting the spring growth of rushes and phragmites.

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Redhead Hen on the Bear River

By Mia McPherson|December 2nd, 2015|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Redheads, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, Aythya americana, Bear River, diving ducks, duck, ducks, fall, female, hen, marsh, Redhead, river, water, waterfowl, wetlands|

I photographed this Redhead hen yesterday morning at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge as she floated on the Bear River.

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Redhead Drake at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

By Mia McPherson|September 21st, 2015|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Redheads, Utah|Tags: adult, Aythya americana, breeding plumage, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, fall, male, marsh, Redhead, summer, waterfowl, wetlands|

The Redheads at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge are getting closer to being in their breeding plumage which they normally show from October through June.

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It is Getting Duckier at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

By Mia McPherson|August 18th, 2015|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Gadwalls, Redheads, Ruddy Ducks, Utah|Tags: Aythya americana, duck, ducklings, ducks, Gadwall, Mareca strepera, marsh, Oxyura jamaicensis, Redhead, Ruddy Duck, water, waterfowl, wetlands|

Over the past couple of weeks I have noticed that Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is getting duckier. I am seeing more ducks in the water and flying over head now than I had in July.

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Redhead Ducks in Salt Lake County

By Mia McPherson|February 4th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Aythya americana, Brood Parasitism, diving, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, female, hen, male, pond, Redhead, urban, water, waterfowl, winter|

Last February; when there was actually snow on the ground, I photographed a pair of Redhead ducks at a pond near where I live.

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Redhead drake portrait

By Mia McPherson|February 11th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Aythya americana, close up, drake, duck, ducks, male, pond, portrait, Redhead, urban, water, waterfowl, winter|

The sun came out for a few hours yesterday afternoon so I went to a pond near where I live and photographed some of the ducks including this very confiding Redhead drake.

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