cryptic plumage

Cooper’s Hawk – Nearly Hidden And In Plain Sight

By Mia McPherson|March 17th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Cooper’s Hawks, Morgan County, Salt Lake County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: accipiter, Accipiter cooperii, Accipiters, autumn, branches, canyon, Cooper’s Hawk, cryptic plumage, distance, fall, fence, First Spring, hatch year, hawk, hawks, hidden, immature, Morgan County, mountains, perched, plain, raptors, resting, Salt Lake County, sight, tree, trees, urban, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, winter, wooden fence, woodlands, young|

Two days ago, while I was photographing some Rock Squirrels, I saw a beautiful immature Cooper's Hawk fly in and land in a tangle of trees near the squirrels.

Pine Siskin In A Greasewood At Farmington Bay

By Mia McPherson|October 18th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Pine Siskins, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, Carduelis pinus, cryptic plumage, Davis County, fall, Farmington Bay WMA, Farmmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, fluttering, Greasewood, greasewoods, hidden, marsh, perched, Pine Siskin, Sarcobatus vermiculatus, shrub, siskin, siskins, Utah, wetlands, wings|

I'm always happy to have a Pine Siskin in my viewfinder. When I saw this siskin five days ago in a Greasewood, I thought about how easily they can blend in.