Common Goldeneye – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Drake Common Goldeneye Courtship Display in Low Light

By Mia McPherson|February 3rd, 2018|Categories: Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Bucephala clangula, Common Goldeneye, courtship behavior, courtship display, displaying, diving duck, drake, duck, ducks, goldeneye, goldeneyes, Head-throw, low light, male, urban, waterfowl, winter|

Because I had noticed the Common Goldeneye drake's behavior I was able to photograph him as he assumed the Head-throw posture.

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Common Goldeneye Drake With A Crayfish – We Were Both Lucky Ducks

By Mia McPherson|January 8th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, bill, breeding plumage, Bucephala clangula, Common Goldeneye, crayfish, diving ducks, duck, ducks, eating, goldeneye, goldeneyes, lamellae, pond, urban, waterfowl, winter|

It is hard to figure out who is the lucky duck here, the Common Goldeneye for catching the crayfish or me for seeing the duck with the crayfish and photographing it.

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My Year of Bird Photography in 2017

By Mia McPherson|December 31st, 2017|Categories: American Tree Sparrows, American White Pelicans, Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Green-tailed Towhees, Idaho, Prairie Falcons, Red-naped Sapsuckers, Red-tailed Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Short-eared Owls, Swainson's Hawks, Utah, Yellow-rumped Warblers|Tags: American Tree Sparrow, American White Pelican, Asio flammeus, bird photography, Bucephala clangula, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteo lagopus, Buteo swainsoni, Common Goldeneye, Corthylio calendula, Falco mexicanus, Green-tailed Towhee, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, Pipilo chlorurus, Prairie Falcon, Red-naped Sapsucker, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Setophaga coronata, Short-eared Owl, Sphyrapicus nuchalis, Spizella arborea, Swainson's Hawk, Yellow-rumped Warbler|

I love what I do, I love my subjects and it doesn't matter if I find them close to home or further away. I am blessed. 2017 has been wonderful and I am excited for what 2018 may bring.

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Focusing On Male Common Goldeneyes

By Mia McPherson|December 15th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: behavior, Bucephala clangula, Common Goldeneye, diving, diving ducks, drakes, duck, ducks, fighting, male, shaking, tail, threat display, waterfowl, wing flapping|

I spent fifty-five minutes primarily focusing on male Common Goldeneyes yesterday afternoon and I am very happy with the images I took of these beautiful diving ducks.

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Common Goldeneyes in Northern Utah

By Mia McPherson|December 13th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: 1st winter, adult, Bucephala clangula, close up, Common Goldeneye, displaying, drakes, duck, ducks, first winter, goldeneyes, male, portrait, swimming, waterfowl, winter|

The number of birds in a specific location can increase and decrease substantially from one day to the next and that happened with Common Goldeneyes at my local pond in northern Utah when their numbers increased considerably.

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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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Common Goldeneyes Have Started Their Courtship Displays

By Mia McPherson|January 4th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Salt Lake Valley, Utah|Tags: adult, breeding behavior, breeding display, breeding plumage, Bucephala clangula, Common Goldeneye, courtship behavior, drake, ducks, goldeneyes, male, mating display, pond, urban, water, waterfowl|

I'm seeing plenty of goldeneyes around right now and I have also begun to see the male Common Goldeneyes performing their courtship displays.

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Male Common Goldeneye in Breeding Plumage on the Jordan River

By Mia McPherson|December 16th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Jordan River Parkway Trail, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, breeding plumage, Bucephala clangula, Common Goldeneye, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, goldeneye, goldeneyes, Jordan River, low light, male, rapids, river, take off, urban, winter|

I photographed this male Common Goldeneye in breeding plumage on the Jordan River in Salt Lake County, Utah in low light on a cold morning.

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Common Goldeneyes plus one Common Raven

By Mia McPherson|December 8th, 2016|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Common Ravens, Davis County, Utah|Tags: 1st winter, adult, breeding plumage, Bucephala clangula, casting pellet, causeway, Common Goldeneye, Common Raven, corvids, Corvus corax, diving ducks, duck, ducks, female, goldeneye, goldeneyes, Great Salt Lake, icy rocks, immature, raven, ravens, shore, waterfowl, winter|

I had fun photographing the Common Raven and the Common Goldeneyes yesterday and even though the cold temps made my fingers numb, these birds were the highlight of my day.

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First winter Common Goldeneye male

By Mia McPherson|December 15th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: 1st winter, Bucephala clangula, cavity nesting, Common Goldeneye, dive, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, goldeneye, goldeneyes, icy, male, marsh, pond, submerged, water, waterfowl, wetlands, winter|

Common Goldeneyes are diving sea ducks that over winter in the Salt Lake Valley where I see and photograph them at Bear River National Wildlife Refuge, along the causeway to Antelope Island State Park and at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area.

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Three years ago today when it was actually Winter

By Mia McPherson|December 6th, 2012|Categories: American Coots, Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Mallards, Pied-billed Grebes, Ring-billed Gulls, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: American Coot, Anas platyrhynchos, Bucephala clangula, Common Goldeneye, coot, coots, diving ducks, duck, ducks, Fulica americana, goldeneye, goldeneyes, grebe, grebes, gull, gulls, Mallard, mallards, Pied-billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps, pond, water, winter|

Three years ago today though the ground was covered in drifts of snow, the temps were below freezing, there was ice on the ponds & lakes and there was a sharp briskness to the air that can only be found in winter.

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Things are getting Ducky in Utah!

By Mia McPherson|October 1st, 2011|Categories: Birds, Buffleheads, Cinnamon Teals, Common Goldeneyes, Common Mergansers, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Gadwalls, Greater Scaups, Mallards, Northern Pintails, Northern Shovelers, Red-breasted Mergansers, Ring-necked Ducks, Salt Lake Valley|Tags: Anas acuta, Anas platyrhynchos, autumn, Aythya collaris, Aythya marila, Bucephala albeola, Bucephala clangula, Bufflehead, Cinnamon Teal, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Davis County, Gadwall, Greater Scaup, Mallard, Mareca strepera, Mergus merganser, Mergus serrator, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Red-breasted Merganser, Ring-necked Duck, Salt Lake County, Spatula clypeata, Spatula cyanoptera|

Another wonderful change that I have been seeing is that a variety of duck species have been arriving at the Great Salt Lake

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