chasing – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Spring Caspian Tern Photos Plus A Bonus Osprey Image

By Mia McPherson|May 4th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Caspian Terns, Ospreys, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, aerial chase, breeding plumage, Caspian Tern, chasing, dive, eye level, flight, flying, Hydroprogne caspia, Osprey, ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, park, pond, raptors, sky, spring, tern, terns, urban|

At the end of last month, I had the pleasure of taking Caspian Tern photos as these terns were flying and fishing at my local pond.

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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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Snowy Egret Photos – Farmington Bay Opening Day

By Mia McPherson|September 17th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Snowy Egrets, Utah|Tags: adult, behavior, chasing, Covid, dashing, defensive, egret, egrets, Egretta thula, fight, fighting, flight, flying, hair style, head on, landing, lift off, lifting off, marsh, Snowy Egret, summer, take off, taking off, tip toe, tiptoe, wading birds, water, wetlands, wing tip, wingtip, wooden pole|

Yesterday was kind of an opening day at Farmington Bay and the Snowy Egret show was the highlight of the day.

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Franklin’s Gull Feasting On Brine Flies Plus News About The Great Salt Lake

By Mia McPherson|July 25th, 2021|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Franklin's Gulls, Utah|Tags: adult, brine flies, chasing, conservation, drying, dying, eating, Ephydra cinerea, Ephydra hians, feasting, flies, foraging, Franklin's Gull, Great Salt Lake, gull, gulls, hatch year, hypersaline, hypersaline lake, immature, juvenile, lake, Leucophaeus pipixcan, rocks, scooping, shore, shoreline, summer, walking, water, water levels, young|

While Franklin's Gulls are in northern Utah for their breeding season brine flies are an important food source for the adults and their young and are a part of their breeding success here in the Great Basin.

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First Of Season Male Yellow Warbler Photo

By Mia McPherson|May 9th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: adult, canyon, chasing, male, migrant, migration, mountains, recording, Setophaga petechia, song, spring, territories, tucked, warbler, warblers, willows, Yellow Warbler|

Three days ago I was able to take my first of season Yellow Warbler photos when a male came up close to where I sat in my Jeep in a high mountain canyon.

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Male Red-winged Blackbirds Are Displaying On Territory

By Mia McPherson|February 22nd, 2020|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Red-winged Blackbirds, Utah|Tags: Agelaius phoeniceus, arrival, blackbird, blackbirds, chasing, displaying, full intensity, male, meduim intensity, perched, perched display, phragmites, phrags, Red-winged Blackbird, Song Spread, spring|

Two days ago there were plenty of male Red-winged Blackbirds singing and putting on displays in the marshy areas of Farmington Bay WMA.

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Imagine Utah Without California Gulls

By Mia McPherson|August 11th, 2019|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, California Gulls, Conservation, Davis County, Environment, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, at risk, brine flies, California Gull, chasing, climate change, climate crisis, flight, flying, Great Salt Lake, gull, gulls, icy, lake, lake shore, Larus californicus, pond, urban|

Ah, Mia, it is just a bird. No, it isn't just a bird. Because California Gulls aren't the only birds at risk of disappearing from the skies, shorelines and waters of Utah.

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Greater Yellowlegs Landing & Lifting Off At Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|August 20th, 2018|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Greater Yellowlegs, Utah|Tags: adult, avocet, chase, chasing, Greater Yellowlegs, landing, lift off, lifting off, marsh, refuge, shorebird, shorebirds, summer, Tringa melanoleuca, water, wetlands, yellowlegs|

Because of the avocet's determination to chase off this Greater Yellowlegs I was able to photograph it lifting off from the water with water still dripping from its feet and with the shorebird's head framed by its wings.

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Great Salt Lake Brine Flies – Important Food Source For California Gulls

By Mia McPherson|July 14th, 2018|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Brine Flies, California Gulls, Davis County, Utah|Tags: active feeding, brine flies, California Gull, chasing, Ephydra cinerea, Ephydra hians, food source, food web, Great Salt Lake, gull, gulls, hypersaline, immature, Larus californicus, scoop|

Brine flies that live in the Great Salt Lake are an important food source for California Gulls and watching the gulls feed on the flies is fascinating as they use several techniques to catch them.

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I Stop For Coots Any Time I See Them

By Mia McPherson|September 17th, 2017|Categories: American Coots, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Beaverhead County, Birds, Box Elder County, Centennial Valley, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: American Coot, chasing, coot, coots, feathers, Fulica americana, ice, icy water, lobed feet, morning mist, nesting, portrait, resting, shaking, standing|

I've written before that I love American Coots and I guess that will never change, I will stop for coots any time I see them, I will photograph them and enjoy their antics.

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Northern Harrier chasing a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk

By Mia McPherson|November 14th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Northern Harriers, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: aerial dogfight, bird photography, Buteo jamaicensis, chasing, Circus hudsonius, fight, fighting, flight, flying, hariers, harrier, hawk, hawks, immature, juvenile, Northern Harrier, playing, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk|

This image of a Northern Harrier and a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in an aerial dogfight over Antelope Island State Park was taken the day before the recent snow storm started that we had here in the Salt Lake Valley over the weekend.

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California Gull – The Chase is On

By Mia McPherson|October 3rd, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Brine Flies, California Gulls, Utah|Tags: adult, bill, bird photography, brine flies, brine fly, California Gull, chasing, closing, Ephydra cinerea, Ephydra hians, feeding behavior, flies, Great Salt Lake, hypersaline, lake, Larus californicus, opening, run, scoop, surface, undulating wave, wings|

While my mother was visiting Utah she was able to see how California Gulls chase and feed on Brine Flies, it is fascinating feeding behavior. As my mom watched, I photographed.

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American Coots – Birds to Rail About

By Mia McPherson|January 29th, 2012|Categories: American Coots, Birds, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, American Coot, bronze, chasing, coot, coots, Fulica americana, gruiformes, head, ice, pond, running, silky, small in frame, tilted, urban, water, winter|

American Coots are the most widely distributed members of the Rail family in North America and are very abundant in habitats with open water.

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California Gulls feeding on the Brine Flies of the Great Salt Lake

By Mia McPherson|August 31st, 2011|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Brine Flies, California Gulls, Utah|Tags: adult, algal bloom, brine flies, brine fly, California Gull, chasing, Ephydra cinerea, Ephydra hians, feeding behavior, Great Salt Lake, gull, gulls, high salinity, Larus californicus, observing behavior, wildlife|

A few days ago I had the opportunity to take images of California Gulls feeding on brine flies along shoreline of the Great Salt Lake next to the causeway to Antelope Island

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