feet – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Urban American Coot Close Up Photos

By Mia McPherson|February 11th, 2024|Categories: American Coots, Birds, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, American Coot, behavior, close up, coot, coots, eating, feeding, feet, fight, fighting, fish, foot, frost, Fulica americana, grass, grasses, marsh, mating, park, pond, prey, reflections, ruckus, spring, urban, water, winter|

Because it was a bright, sunny day yesterday morning, I went down to my local ponds. I photographed an American Coot munching on frosty grass near one of them.

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Barn Swallow And Toe Shadows

By Mia McPherson|August 15th, 2023|Categories: Barn Swallows, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: auto tour loop, auto tour route, Barn Swallow, feet, fish and wildlife service, Hirundo rustica, marsh, perched, shadow, shadows, sign, sky, summer, swallow, swallows, toes, wetlands|

One year ago today, I photographed this Barn Swallow perched on a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service sign from the auto tour loop at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

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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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American Coot Reflection

By Mia McPherson|November 3rd, 2022|Categories: American Coots, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: adult, American Coot, autumn, coot, coots, fall, feet, Fulica americana, marsh, reflection, reflections, vegetation, water, wetlands|

This American Coot caught my eye on my latest trip up to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge three days ago in part because of the still water and the reflection of the bird.

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Male Brewer’s Blackbird On A Sign

By Mia McPherson|October 1st, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Brewer's Blackbirds, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, blackbird, blackbirds, Brewer's Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus, fall, feet, interpretive sign, male, marsh, perched, sign, staring, wetlands|

While traveling the auto tour loop at Bear River MBR yesterday morning, I was thrilled to see an adult male Brewer's Blackbird on an interpretive sign.

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Focusing On American Coot Photos At Farmington Bay

By Mia McPherson|January 11th, 2022|Categories: American Coots, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: adult, American Coot, big, checking, coot, coots, Davis County, droplets, eating, fall, Farmington Bay WMA, feeding, feet, foot, forating, frost, frosty, Fulica americana, grass, grasses, green, ice, lifted, marsh, out, rest, sip, thin, Utah, vegetation, water, wetland, winter|

Yesterday morning I spent part of my time focusing on taking American Coot photos in the marshes and wetlands of Farmington Bay WMA. I adore these goofy birds.

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Ferruginous And Rough-legged Hawk Lift Off Photos

By Mia McPherson|February 22nd, 2021|Categories: Birds, Ferruginous Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteo regalis, Buteos, feathered legs, feathered tarsi, feet, Ferruginous Hawk, first winter, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, legs, lift off, lifting off, light morph, male, power pole, raptors, rock, rocks, Rough-legged Hawk, sky, take off, taking off, young|

Yesterday morning I was able to take Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawk lift off photos where both of the raptors still had their feet on their perches.

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Which Bird Do These Feet Belong To?

By Mia McPherson|December 27th, 2020|Categories: American Coots, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, American Coot, close up, coot, coots, feet, Fulica americana, gruiformes, patrol, snow, snowy, walking, winter|

What we can see are greenish, lobed feet and a dark, rounded body. With just those two identification features can you guess which bird these feet belong to?

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Mountain Chickadees – Listening For Their Songs And Calls

By Mia McPherson|October 27th, 2020|Categories: Mountain Chickadees, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: bill, call, chickadee, chickadees, cone, Douglas fir, feeding, feet, fir cone, food, foraging, grasping, juniper, Juniperus osteosperma, Mountain Chickadee, Poecile gambeli, Pseudotsuga menziesii, resting, Rocky Mountain Douglas Fir, song|

I listen for birds everywhere I go. Their calls and songs help me to locate them so I can photograph and observe them as they go about their lives.

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Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird Nectaring And Landing Series

By Mia McPherson|May 26th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, backing up, Black twinberry honeysuckle, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, feet, hummingbird, hummingbirds, landing, Lonicera involucrata, male, nectaring, Selasphorus platycercus, toes, twig|

The Black Twinberry Honeysuckles weren't even in bloom quite yet yesterday in the Wasatch Mountains when I spotted this male Broad-tailed Hummingbird hovering near some to get nectar.

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Preening American Kestrel ~ Friday Photos

By Mia McPherson|January 6th, 2012|Categories: American Kestrels, Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Utah|Tags: adult, American Kestrel, cleaning, Falco sparverius, falcon, falcons, fanned, feet, Friday Photos, goofy, kestrel, kestrels, male, preening, rabbitbrush, tail|

American Kestrels hold a special interest for me, they are North America's smallest falcon but what they lack in size they make up for in attitude. These falcons can be fiesty.

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Rough-legged Hawk Preening

By Mia McPherson|November 30th, 2011|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: Antelope Island State Park, birds of prey, buteo, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, comical, feet, funny, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, light morph, perched, post, preening, raptors, regal, Rough-legged Hawk, side view, wooden post|

Last week though I had the opportunity to photograph a very cooperative Rough-legged Hawk preening.

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