flapping – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Male Eastern Bluebird Teaching His Young

By Mia McPherson|May 17th, 2024|Categories: Arkansas, Birds, Eastern Bluebirds, Sebastian County|Tags: adult, Arkansas, balancing, behavior, bluebird, bluebirds, checking out, chicks, dancing, driftwood, Eastern Bluebird, excited, feeder, flapping, fluttering, food, garden, guiding, lifted, male, perch, perched, Sebastian County, showing, Sialia sialis, spring, teaching, tempting, thrush, thrushes, urban, watching, waving, wings, yard, young|

Before I left Arkansas, I had the privilege of seeing and photographing this male Eastern Bluebird teaching his young fledglings where to find food.

8

Immature Common Merganser Shaking Off

By Mia McPherson|March 13th, 2024|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Common Mergansers, Utah|Tags: Bear River, Common Merganser, diving duck, diving ducks, flapping, immature, merganser, Mergus merganser, ranchlands, river, shaking off, water, waterfowl, wings, winter|

Just a simple photo of an immature Common Merganser today. I took this image of the merganser on the Bear River almost two years ago on a bright, sunny morning.

2

Migrating Common Loon Photos

By Mia McPherson|April 22nd, 2023|Categories: Birds, Common Loons, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, breeding plumage, Common Loon, cute, drinking, droplets, eye, flapping, foot, Gavia immer, head tilt, loon, loons, park, pond, raised, red, Salt Lake County, sneaking, splashing, spring, stretching, swimming, urban, Utah, water, waterbirds, wing lift, wings|

I went through more of the Common Loon photos that I have taken since the beginning of this month. I wanted to share more images of these beautiful birds.

7

More Urban Common Loon Photos

By Mia McPherson|April 12th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Common Loons, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, alert, belly, bill, breeding plumage, Common Loon, flapping, foot, Gavia immer, head, loon, loons, neck, open, park, pond, preening, Salt Lake County, sleepy, stretching, tipped, urban, Utah, water, waterbirds, wings|

I had two mornings to photograph a Common Loon at a local pond. These photos are from the second morning and they show more action from the striking loon.

4

Hen Common Merganser At Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|March 1st, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Common Mergansers, Utah|Tags: adult, bath, bathing, Common Merganser, diving ducks, duck, ducks, female, flapping, hen, ice, ice shelf, icy, marsh, merganser, mergansers, Mergus merganser, snow, water, wetlands, wings, winter|

Last month I photographed this hen Common Merganser in a small spot of open water next to an ice shelf at Bear River MBR. It was a very cold morning.

5

Redhead Ducks At My Local Pond

By Mia McPherson|November 7th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Aythya americana, drake, duck, ducks, female, flapping, hen, male, pond, Redhead, shadowed, urban, urban birds, water, waterfowl, wings, winter|

Yesterday morning I took a brief walk at my local pond and was thrilled to see a small flock of Redhead ducks resting together on the surface of the pond.

5

Lesser Scaup Hen And Drake At Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|March 3rd, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Lesser Scaups, Utah|Tags: adult, Aythya affinis, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, female, flapping, hen, ice, Lesser Scaup, male, marsh, scaup, scaups, water, waterfowl, wetlands, wing flap, wings, winter|

On my last trip up to Bear River MBR I had a brief opportunity to photograph a Lesser Scaup hen next to the auto tour loop as she flapped her wings.

4

California Gull After A Bath

By Mia McPherson|December 11th, 2021|Categories: Birds, California Gulls, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, air, autumn, bath, California Gull, fall, flapping, gull, gulls, Larus californicus, leaping, nonbreeding plumage, pond, post bath, urban, water, wings|

I photographed this California Gull after it bathed almost a year ago at a small pond close to where I live in Salt Lake county on a cold afternoon.

3

Drake Common Goldeneye With Pigment Issues On His Bill

By Mia McPherson|December 13th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, bill, breeding plumage, Bucephala clangula, Common Goldeneye, Definitive Alternate Plumage, Definitive Basic Plumage, diving ducks, drake, fighting, flapping, goldeneye, goldeneyes, lack of pigment, male, nonbreeding plumage, odd colored bill, pigment isses, pond, preening, Salt Lake County, settling, swimming, Utah, water, waterfowl, white on bill, wind, windy, wings, winter|

When I got back home and uploaded the images I took of the drake Common Goldeneye I could see that his bill had pigment issues and that it wasn't a white feather stuck on his bill.

4

Common Goldeneye Drakes Close To Home – December 2017

By Mia McPherson|October 20th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: Bucephala clangula, Common Goldeneye, drake, duck, ducks, flapping, gliding, goldeneyes, male, waterfowl, wings|

I only see Common Goldeneyes in northern Utah during their nonbreeding season because they breed well north of here so I get a touch excited when they show up at my local pond.

4

Juvenile Osprey with a Tiger Trout in the Wasatch Mountains

By Mia McPherson|September 10th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Little Dutch Hollow, Morgan County, Ospreys, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: balance, Brown Trout x Brook Trout, canyon, female, Fish Hawk, flapping, full crop, immature, juvenile, mountains, Osprey, ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, prey, Salmo trutta × Salvelinus fontinalis, sterile hybrid, Tiger Trout, wings, young|

Yesterday the "unexpected" bird was a juvenile Osprey in the Wasatch Mountains. I'd say it was unexpected because I'd been photographing songbirds and wasn't expecting to see North America's "Fish Hawk" in the same area.

10

Drake Redhead Flapping His Wings On a February Afternoon

By Mia McPherson|February 22nd, 2018|Categories: Birds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Aythya americana, breeding plumage, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, flapping, male, pond, Redhead, urban, water, waterfowl, wings, winter|

I've been seeing Redheads at my local pond over the winter but most of the time they have stayed on the other side of the pond so having this one up a bit closer and flapping his wings was a delight.

4

Drake Mallards Bathing and Splashing

By Mia McPherson|November 22nd, 2017|Categories: Birds, Mallards, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: Anas platyrhynchos, bathing, dabbling ducks, drake, duck, ducks, flapping, male, Mallard, mallards, pond, splashing, urban, water, waterfowl, wings|

After bathing the Mallards lift up, flap their wings and shake the water off and I have also noticed them repeat the process of bathing several times in succession. Bathe, shake, flap.

7