flight – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

American White Pelicans in the spotlight

By Mia McPherson|February 8th, 2015|Categories: American White Pelicans, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: adult, American White Pelican, flight, flying, marsh, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, pelican, pelicans, river, sky, water, white pelicans|

So, since the temperatures have been so much warmer than normal I wouldn't be surprised to see American White Pelicans any day now.

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Northern Harrier searching for prey along the Antelope Island Causeway

By Mia McPherson|January 24th, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: Circus hudsonius, coursing, flight, flying, harrier, harriers, hawks, hunting, Marsh hawk, mudflats, Northern Harrier, photographing, prey, raptor, sky, voles, winter|

Three days ago I had fun photographing a Northern Harrier searching for prey along the Antelope Island Causeway

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Great Egrets – Big White Wading Birds

By Mia McPherson|January 18th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Egrets|Tags: adult, Ardea alba, bird photography, birds, close up, egret, egrets, fish, flight, Great Egret, Gulf of Mexico, lagoon, Mullet, Pinellas County, portrait, prey, wading birds|

After posting Great Blue Heron images yesterday I decided to post images of Great Egrets which are also a large wading bird species this morning.

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Raising my glass to 2015!

By Mia McPherson|January 1st, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Beaverhead County, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Centennial Valley, Clark County, Davis County, House Wrens, Idaho, Montana, Moose, Swainson's Hawks, Targhee National Forest, Utah|Tags: Alces alces, bird photography, birds, Black-billed Magpie, Buteo swainsoni, Buteos, calf, close up, flight, flying, grasses, hawk, hawks, House Wren, immature, juvenile, magpie, magpies, Moose, Pica hudsonia, portrait, raptors, road, running, Swainson's Hawk, Troglodytes aedon, wildlife photography, wren, wrens|

Raising the glass attached to my camera that is! I'm excited about the photographic opportunities that will present themselves in 2015.

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Golden Eagle in falling snow

By Mia McPherson|December 29th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Golden Eagles, Utah|Tags: Aquila chrysaetos, birds of prey, desert island, eagle, eagles, falling snow, flight, flying, Golden Eagle, raptor, raptors, snow, snow storm, winter|

Yesterday morning found me on Antelope Island in low light and falling snow with a pair of Golden Eagles wishing for better light and clear skies.

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Christmas Day snow storm and a Red-tailed Hawk

By Mia McPherson|December 25th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteos, Christmas, Davis County, flight, flying, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk, snow, snow storm|

I'm glad the hawk wasn't any closer or I would have missed out on exactly this image that I will always remember was created on this Christmas Day.

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Eye Level Northern Harrier

By Mia McPherson|December 16th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: aerodynamic, birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, eye level, female, flight, flying, harrier, harriers, hawks, hen, immature, juvenile, Marsh hawk, Northern Harrier, raptor, snow, winter|

I love to photograph birds in flight and it doesn't matter which species it is. But I do thoroughly enjoy photographing raptors like this Northern Harrier as they fly by.

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Rough-legged Hawk on a gray day

By Mia McPherson|December 13th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, flight, flying, gray day, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, light morph, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, sky, winter, young|

The day in 2011 when I photographed this Rough-legged Hawk was gray but it didn't really bother me to capture this handsome bird in low light.

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Immature Northern Harrier On The Wing

By Mia McPherson|December 12th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, female, flight, flying, harrier, harriers, hawks, immature, marsh, Marsh hawk, Northern Harrier, raptors, sky, wetlands|

So I missed out on seeing the Northern Harriers, Bald Eagles and American Kestrels at Farmington Bay WMA this morning but decided to post an older image of an immature Northern Harrier on the wing.

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Bison And Birds On The Wing

By Mia McPherson|December 6th, 2014|Categories: American Bison, Antelope Island State Park, Birds, European Starlings, Utah|Tags: American Bison, autumn, Bison bison, buffalo, Davis County, desert island, European Starling, fall, flight, flock, flying, grasses, hill, sky, starling, starlings, stormy, stormy light, Sturnus vulgaris, wildlife, wildlife photography, winter|

The light and clouds looked iffy this morning but Antelope Island didn't disappoint when it came to bison and birds plus some dramatic light.

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Barn Owl on the Wing

By Mia McPherson|November 30th, 2014|Categories: American Barn Owls, Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: adult, American Barn Owl, birds of prey, flight, flying, marsh, owl, owls, Owls of Utah, snow, Tyto furcata, wetlands, winter|

Barn Owls are gorgeous with their dark as ebony eyes, beautiful plumage and graceful flight so I find it difficult to suppress my delight when I see them on the wing.

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Happy Thanksgiving

By Mia McPherson|November 27th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: bird photography, birds, birds of prey, Davis County, flight, flying, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, raptors, snow|

This year has been zipping by so quickly and it is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is already here and I really have so much to be grateful for.

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Red-tailed Hawk juvenile in flight in low light

By Mia McPherson|November 21st, 2014|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Hawks, Eagles, Ospreys and Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: bird photography, birds, birds of prey, Buteo jamaicensis, flight, flying, fog, hawk, hawks, high key, immature, juvenile, low light, Red-tailed Hawk, snow|

I could not resist photographing the young Red-tailed Hawk though as it lifted off and flew in front of me after prey even though conditions were not ideal.

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Juvenile Northern Harrier in flight

By Mia McPherson|November 12th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, clouds, dive-bombed, female, flight, flying, harrier, harriers, harsh winter, hawk, hawks, immature, juvenile, Marsh hawk, marshes, Northern Harrier, raptor, sky, survival rate, vole population|

Northern Harriers are year round residents in Utah and I am encouraged by the numbers of them I have seen lately at Farmington Bay WMA.

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Veterans Day 2014

By Mia McPherson|November 11th, 2014|Categories: Bald Eagles, Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: adult, bird photography, birds, birds of prey, Davis County, flight, flying, raptors|

Words will never fully be enough when I think about the sacrifices our Veterans have made for our country.

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Pair of Greater Yellowlegs in flight

By Mia McPherson|November 3rd, 2014|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Greater Yellowlegs, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, fall, flight, flying, Greater Yellowlegs, marsh, migration, pair, shorebirds, sky, Tringa melanolueca, wetlands, yellowlegs|

Shorebirds are still migrating through the Salt Lake Valley and Farmington Bay WMA and there have been quite a few Greater Yellowlegs in the area.

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Sandwich Tern and a pastel sky

By Mia McPherson|October 11th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Sandwich Terns|Tags: adult, bird photography, birds, flight, flying, nature photography, Passerculus sandwichensis, pastel sky, Sandwich Tern|

I have tons of images I haven't processed and last week while searching for a Royal Tern to post I came across this Sandwich Tern I had taken in Florida in 2009.

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Swainson’s Hawk in evening light

By Mia McPherson|October 7th, 2014|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Swainson's Hawks|Tags: adult, Argentina, bird photography, bird watching, birds of prey, Buteo swainsoni, evening light, flight, flying, hawks, Hawks of Montana, light morph, migration, raptors, Swainson's Hawk|

A month ago I was in the Centennial Valley of Montana camping and the hawks I spent the most time photographing were Swainson's Hawks.

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Close up of a Red-tailed Hawk in flight

By Mia McPherson|September 17th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah, Utah County|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Buteo jamaicensis, close up, flight, flying, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, ranchlands, raptors, red tailed hawks, Red-tailed Hawk, sky, summer|

There are times when the birds I want to photograph are too far away and then there are times when the birds get too close, this Red-tailed Hawk got too close.

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Ferocious Ferruginous

By Mia McPherson|September 5th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Ferruginous Hawks, Utah, Utah County|Tags: adult, birds, birds of prey, Buteo regalis, desert, ferocious, Ferruginous Hawk, flight, flying, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, light morph, ranchlands, raptors, sky, summer|

I think all raptors have a ferocious appearance but this Ferruginous Hawk definitely looked ferocious to me yesterday right after it lifted off from its perch high on a pole.

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Ring-billed Gull in flight over the Gulf

By Mia McPherson|September 2nd, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Honeymoon Island State Park, Pinellas County, Ring-billed Gulls|Tags: adult, flight, flying, Gulf of Mexico, Larus delawarensis, Ring-billed Gull|

Ring-billed Gulls are fairly common but as with any common bird I believe that they can be uncommonly beautiful.

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Fighting Red-tailed Hawk juveniles

By Mia McPherson|August 30th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: bird of prey, Buteo jamaicensis, Davis County, fighting, flight, Hawks of Utah, immature, juvenile, nature photography, Red-tailed Hawk, wildlife photography|

I wonder if these two juvenile Red-tailed Hawks will hang around for the winter, I sure hope so.

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Beautiful Pollinators

By Mia McPherson|August 28th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Nevada Bumble Bees, Rufous Hummingbirds, Utah, Wildflowers|Tags: Bombus nevadensis, bumblebee, bumblebees, Cleomella serrulata, Common Sunflower, flight, flying, Helianthus annuus, hummingbird, hummingbirds, nature photography, Nevada Bumble Bee, Nevada Bumblebee, pink wildflowers, pollination, pollinator, pollinators, Rocky Mountain Bee Plant, Rufous Hummingbird, Selasphorus rufus, wildlife photography, yellow wildflowers|

Yesterday the light wasn't great in the morning but I did get out to take some images an Antelope Island and there were plenty of pollinators out and about.

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Sandhill Crane and a stormy sky

By Mia McPherson|August 27th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Sandhill Cranes, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: adult, Antigone canadensis, breeding season, crane, cranes, flight, flying, mountains, Sandhill Crane, sandhills, spring, stormy sky|

In March of this year I spent several days photographing Sandhill Cranes in southern Utah where the light and the weather could rapidly change.

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Brown Pelicans flying into the sunset and floating on the Gulf of Mexico

By Mia McPherson|August 25th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Brown Pelicans, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park|Tags: adult, breeding plumage, Brown Pelican, coast, coastal, flight, flying, Gulf of Mexico, Pelecanus occidentalis, pelican, pelicans, Pinellas County, sunset, water|

I worked up two older Brown Pelican images to share this morning taken at Fort De Soto in 2009 and 2008.

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Photobombed by a bird and a bug

By Mia McPherson|August 21st, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Barn Swallows, Birds, Dragonflies, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Loggerhead Shrikes, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: Barn Swallow, bird photography, birding, Circus hudsonius, Davis County, dragonfly, flight, harrier, harriers, Hirundo rustica, Lanius ludovicianus, Loggerhead Shrike, nature photography, Northern Harrier, perched, photobomb, photobombed, shrike, shrikes, swallow, swallows, wildlife photography|

When taking any photograph it is possible to be photobombed and I have had my share of those including these two bird images.

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Monday Medley of Bees, Moths and Hummingbirds

By Mia McPherson|August 18th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Davis County, Nevada Bumble Bees, Rufous Hummingbirds, Utah, White-lined Sphinx Moths, Wildflowers|Tags: Archilochus alexandri, bird photography, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Bombus nevadensis, bumblebee, bumblebees, Cleomella serrulata, desert, feeding, flight, flying, Hyles lineata, island, nature photography, Nevada Bumble Bee, Nevada Bumblebee, pollinators, Rocky Mountain Bee Plant, Rufous Hummingbird, scratching, Selasphorus rufus, summer, wildlife|

I've compiled a medley of images this morning of bees, moths and hummingbirds that I have photographed this past week to share this morning.

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Rufous Hummingbird hovering by Rocky Mountain Bee Plant

By Mia McPherson|August 16th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Rufous Hummingbirds, Utah, Wildflowers|Tags: adult, Cleomella serrulata, Davis County, desert island, flight, flying, hovering, Rocky Mountain Bee Plant, Rufous Hummingbird, Selasphorus rufus, summer, wildflower, wildflowers|

This Rufous Hummingbird had a favorite perch that looked out over its favorite patch of Rocky Mountain Bee Plant.

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Female Black-chinned Hummingbird and a Bee Plant

By Mia McPherson|August 15th, 2014|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Utah, Wildflowers|Tags: adult, Archilochus alexandri, bird photography, bird watching, birding, birds, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Cleomella serrulata, Davis County, female, flight, flying, hovering, hummingbird, hummingbirds, pollinating, pollinator, Rocky Mountain Bee Plant|

The brief appearance of this Black-chinned Hummingbird delighted me yesterday as she fed on the Rocky Mountain Bee Plant.

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Great Blue Heron’s flight over Farmington Bay

By Mia McPherson|August 14th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: Ardea herodias, Davis County, flight, flying, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, immature, marsh, sky, summer, wading birds, wetland|

This Great Blue Heron landed briefly on a willow that was along the road at Farmington Bay but before I could get my exposure set correctly it took flight.

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