courtship behavior – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Western Meadowlarks At Farmington Bay WMA

By Mia McPherson|January 30th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah, Western Meadowlarks|Tags: courtship behavior, courtship behaviors, fluttering, marsh, mating behavior, mating behaviors, meadowlark, meadowlarks, perched, Sturnella neglecta, Western Meadowlark, wetlands, wings, winter|

Much like the Great Blue Herons I shared yesterday, the Western Meadowlarks I found at Farmington Bay WMA two days ago were also behaving as if it were spring.

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Was the Killing Of Bob The Sandhill Crane Really Necessary?

By Mia McPherson|September 5th, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Beaverhead County, Birds, Box Elder County, Centennial Valley, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Montana, Sandhill Cranes, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: adult, Antigone canadensis, behavior, breeding display, clouds, courtship behavior, courtship display, crane, cranes, displaying, field, flight, flying, killed, killing, marsh, mated pair, mountains, pair, Sandhill Crane, spring, storrm, summer, Utah DWR, wetlands|

One of the other things that made me upset with Bob the Sandhill Crane being killed is that this could have been prevented.

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Spring Wild Turkey Tom Displaying Photos

By Mia McPherson|April 21st, 2021|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, Wild Turkeys|Tags: adult, courtship behavior, courtship display, desert, dewlap, displaying, male, Meleagris gallopavo, snood, spring, tom, turkey, turkeys, upland terrestrial birds, Wild Turkey|

Yesterday morning I spent a bit of time observing and photographing this Wild Turkey tom strutting and displaying in Box Elder County, Utah.

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Vesper Sparrow Up Close In The Wasatch Mountains

By Mia McPherson|May 7th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Vesper Sparrows, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, close up, courtship behavior, mountains, Poocetes gramineus, portrait, sparrow, sparrows, spring, Vesper Sparrow|

To my surprise when the Vesper Sparrow lifted off it flew onto the top of another sagebrush that was even closer to me which was nearly perfect for taking portraits of the sparrow and I took full advantage of the opportunity.

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Mating Killdeer at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

By Mia McPherson|May 23rd, 2018|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Killdeer, Utah|Tags: adult, Charadrius vociferus, copulating, courtship behavior, female, Killdeer, killdeers, male, marsh, mating, mating behavior, plover, plovers, shorebirds, spring, wetlands|

Last week when I took my Mom to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge we were fortunate to see and photograph Killdeer mating while on the auto tour route.

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Loggerhead Shrike Allofeeding Courtship Behavior Plus a Close Up

By Mia McPherson|April 25th, 2018|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Loggerhead Shrikes, Utah|Tags: adult, allofeeding, behavior, boulder, breeze, close up, courtship behavior, female, Lanius ludovicianus, Loggerhead Shrike, male, mating behavior, perched, rabbitbrush, shrike, shrikes|

The Loggerhead Shrike did fly in and brought prey to feed the presumed female, during the mating season the males will allofeed the females as part of their courtship behavior. I've never been able to photograph allofeeding behavior before so I was tickled pink.

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Greater Sage-Grouse on a Lek – Our Public Lands – Our Legacy

By Mia McPherson|February 21st, 2018|Categories: Birds, Greater Sage-Grouse, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: adult, Centrocercus urophasianus, conservation, courtship behavior, courtship display, Greater Sage-Grouse, grouse, lek, male, mating behavior, protections, public lands, sage-grouse, sagebrush steppe, Theodore Roosevelt, upland terrestrial birds|

One might ask what do Greater Sage-Grouse have to do with our public lands and the answer would be that more than half of all remaining habit for these large upland game birds is on our public lands in the Western U.S..

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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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Royal Terns Courting in Florida

By Mia McPherson|April 25th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Royal Terns|Tags: adult, beach, breeding grounds, call, circling, courting, courtship behavior, crest, female, fish, gift, male, parade, prey, Royal Tern, sand, tern, terns, Thalasseus maximus|

The "Circling" courtship behavior of Royal Terns was one that I found interesting because as the male circled the female she moved too and kept her sides facing him.

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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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Greater Sage-Grouse in Wayne County, Utah

By Mia McPherson|November 19th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Conservation, Environment, Greater Sage-Grouse, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: adult, Centrocercus urophasianus, courtship behavior, courtship displays, displaying, female, Greater Sage-Grouse, grouse, hen, male, sage-grouse, sparring, upland terrestrial birds|

Since the snow has started to fall in the high country of Utah I have started thinking about Greater Sage-Grouse again.

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Greater Sage-Grouse Lek and News on Protections for the Grouse

By Mia McPherson|May 29th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Conservation, Greater Sage-Grouse, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: Centrocercus urophasianus, cold, courtship behavior, courtship display, Greater Sage-Grouse, grouse, lek, male, morning, protections, sage-grouse, sagebrush steppe, upland terrestrial birds|

Two months ago today I was photographing on a Greater Sage-Grouse lek in 21°F weather in Wayne County, Utah.

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Sage Thrasher Bilateral Wing Display and Courtship Behavior

By Mia McPherson|April 20th, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Sage Thrashers, Utah|Tags: adult, Bilateral Wing Display, courtship behavior, courtship display, desert island, mating behavior, Oreoscoptes montanus, Sage Thrasher, spring, thrasher, thrashers|

Yesterday I had my best opportunities thus far this year to photograph Sage Thrasher courtship behavior and bilateral wing displays on Antelope Island.

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Western Grebe Weed Ceremony Behavior

By Mia McPherson|April 18th, 2015|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah, Western Grebes|Tags: Aechmophorus occidentalis, birds, courting, courtship behavior, courtship display, grebe, grebes, marsh, Rushing Ceremony, spring, water, Weed Ceremony, Weed Dancing, weeds, Western Grebe, wetlands|

Western and Clark's Grebes at Bear River National Wildlife Refuge have returned and I have been hoping to photograph some of their mating behaviors again.

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Great Blue Heron’s Gift

By Mia McPherson|January 5th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, bird photography, birds, branch, breeding plumage, courtship, courtship behavior, flight, flying, gift, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, nest, nesting material|

In January in Florida the Great Blue Herons are already going into breeding plumage and have begun courtship displays and have started building their nests.

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