carrion – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Turkey Vultures Have Returned To Northern Utah

By Mia McPherson|March 30th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Turkey Vultures, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, carrion, Cathartes aura, desert, grass, grasses, grassy, hillside, ranchlands, spring, Turkey Vulture, vulture, vultures|

I'm itching to get back out into the field because I want to see my first of the year Turkey Vultures on the wing.

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International Vulture Awareness Day 2016

By Mia McPherson|September 3rd, 2016|Categories: Birds, Black Vultures, Box Elder County, Florida, Pinellas County, Roosevelt Wetlands, Turkey Vultures, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Black Vulture, carrion, Cathartes aura, Coragyps atratus, DDT, diclofenac, immature, International Vulture Awareness Day, juvenile, perched, raptors, scavengers, thermoregulating, Turkey Vulture, vultures|

Vultures and condors are scavengers and help to clean up the environment by consuming carrion, road kill and gut piles left from the kills of human and non-human hunters.

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Turkey Vulture in Box Elder County – Nature’s Picker Uppers

By Mia McPherson|January 7th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Turkey Vultures, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, carrion, Cathartes aura, cleaning bill, desert, perched, preening, Turkey Vulture, vulture, vultures, wooden post|

When I photographed this Turkey Vulture in Box Elder County last summer it flew from the post it had been perched on and landed a bit further away where it quickly began cleaning its bill

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Coyote and Black-billed Magpies Scavenging to Survive

By Mia McPherson|December 29th, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Coyotes, Davis County, Utah|Tags: Black-billed Magpie, Canis latrans, carcass, carrion, Coyote, deer, ecosystem, food, food web, harsh, magpie, magpies, opportunistic, Pica hudsonia, predators, scavenger, scavengers, Scavenging, snow, survive, winter|

One year ago today I found, pointed out and photographed a Coyote and Black-billed Magpies scavenging a deer carcass to survive on Antelope Island State Park.

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Ghost Crab at Fort De Soto County Park

By Mia McPherson|December 6th, 2015|Categories: Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Ghost Crabs, Pinellas County, Wildlife|Tags: beach, burrows, carrion, coast, coastal, crab, crabs, eyes, eyestalks, Ghost Crab, gills, Gulf Coast, Gulf of Mexico, intertidal areas, marine animals, Ocypode quadrata, Ocypodinae, predators, prey, sand, sea life, water, water's edge, waves|

I am not sure why this particular Ghost Crab was out of its burrow during the day but I was happy that I had the opportunity to photograph it.

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Bison, Starlings, Magpies, Coyotes and a Mule Deer carcass

By Mia McPherson|December 30th, 2014|Categories: American Bison, Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Coyotes, Davis County, European Starlings, Utah|Tags: American Bison, antlers, Black-billed Magpie, Canis latrans, carcass, carrion, Coyote, dead, deer, European Starling, food, grasses, magpie, magpies, Pica hudsonia, scavenger, scavengers, Scavenging, snow, starling, starlings, winter|

Yesterday was another interesting day on Antelope Island seeing snow-covered Bison, snowy weather, birds and spotting Coyotes at a Mule Deer carcass.

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