Gray Ghost – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Male Northern Harrier Photo

By Mia McPherson|November 22nd, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, Circus hudsonius, dorsal view, duck club, fall, flats, flight, flying, Gray Ghost, harrier, harriers, hawks, male, Marsh hawk, Northern Harrier, raptors, trailers|

I'd like this photo of a male Northern Harrier more if there weren't camping trailers from a duck hunting club near the auto loop of Bear River MBR behind him.

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Focusing On A Gray Ghost – AKA Male Northern Harrier

By Mia McPherson|December 9th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, flight, flying, Gray Ghost, harrier, harriers, Hawks of Utah, hunting, male, marsh, Northern Harrier, on the wing, raptors, side view, vegetation, winter|

Today I am focusing on an adult male Northern Harrier that I had in my viewfinder for a few seconds yesterday that was on the wing over the marsh.

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Male Northern Harrier Diving After Falling Prey – Paying Attention Beyond the Viewfinder

By Mia McPherson|May 5th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Northern Harriers, Swainson's Hawks, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Buteo swainsoni, Buteos, calling, Circus hudsonius, dark morph, diving, female, grasses, Gray Ghost, harrier, harriers, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, male, Marsh hawk, Northern Harrier, prey, raptors, Swainson's Hawk, viewfinder|

I was able to take these photos of the male Northern Harrier diving after his falling prey because I looked beyond my viewfinder and quickly locked onto the action happening overhead.

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Morning Spent at a Burrowing Owl Burrow

By Mia McPherson|June 23rd, 2015|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Burrowing Owls, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: adult, Athene cunicularia, barbed wire, birds of prey, Burrowing Owl, Circus hudsonius, fence, fledgling, fledglings, flight, flying, Gray Ghost, harrier, harriers, immature, juvenile, landing, Northern Harrier, owl, owls, Western Burrowing Owl|

Last week I posted an image of Burrowing Owl siblings that I found in northern Utah and today I am posting images of that burrow after spending yesterday morning being delighted by them once more.

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A Gray Ghost on a Gray Day

By Mia McPherson|February 24th, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: adult, bird photography, birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, flight, gray day, Gray Ghost, harrier, harriers, hawks, low light, male, Marsh hawk, Northern Harrier, raptors|

Three years ago on a very gray morning I photographed this male Northern Harrier; the Gray Ghost, in flight along the causeway to Antelope Island State Park.

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One Gray Ghost a Leaping

By Mia McPherson|December 23rd, 2013|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: adult, bird photography, birds, Circus hudsonius, Davis County, Gray Ghost, male, nature photography, wildlife photography|

I couldn't find Ten Lords a Leaping to photograph or in my archives but did locate one Gray Ghost a Leaping which tops the Lords for this bird photographer.

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Northern Harriers in flight

By Mia McPherson|April 29th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: bird photography, birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, female, flight, flying, Gray Ghost, harriers, male, Northern Harrier, raptors|

Northern Harriers fascinate me partly because they are sexually dimorphic; meaning that the males and females look different even though they are the same species, and also because of their owl-like facial discs.

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Images of Christmas Past – Happy Holidays

By Mia McPherson|December 25th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Australia, Bald Eagles, Birds, Burnie, Common Mergansers, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Northern Harriers, Roseate Spoonbills, Tasmania|Tags: Bass Straight, bird photography, birding, birds, Burnie, Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, Davis County, fog, Gray Ghost, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Marsh hawk, Mergus merganser, nature, nature photography, Northern Harrier, Pinellas County, Platalea ajaja, sandman, snow man florida style, Tasmania, wildlife, wildlife photography|

Yesterday I took a stroll down memory lane, actually I looked for images I have taken either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day in my files but in a way that is taking a stroll down memory lane.

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Farmington Utah’s Voles – Just My Opinion

By Mia McPherson|June 25th, 2012|Categories: American Kestrels, Antelope Island State Park, Conservation, Coyotes, Environment, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Glacier County, Great Blue Herons, Great Horned Owls, Loggerhead Shrikes, Montana, Northern Harriers, Rough-legged Hawks, Salt Lake Valley, Utah|Tags: American Kestrel, Coyote, ecosystem, environment, Foxboro Community, Gray Ghost, Great Blue Heron, Great Horned Owl, humane society, Loggerhead Shrike, natural predators, Northern Harrier, Rough-legged Hawk, Utah, vole infestation, voles|

Recently KSL.com; a Utah news station, had an article about a vole (a small rodent) infestation In Farmington, specifically in the neighborhood of Foxboro Community. While I sympathize with the residents about the damage being done to their yards I am disturbed by the advice many of the people commenting have left on the story.

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Northern Harrier in flight

By Mia McPherson|March 20th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, flight, flying, Gray Ghost, harrier, harriers, hawk, hawks, Northern Harrier, raptors, wildlife photography|

Just an image I took yesterday of this male Northern Harrier in flight. As simple as the image is I like the great eye contact it has.

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Northern Harrier

By Mia McPherson|January 31st, 2012|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: 2nd year, birds of prey, chattering, Circus hudsonius, desert island, diving, flight, flying, Gray Ghost, harrier, harriers, hawk, hawks, immature, low light, male, Marsh hawk, Northern Harrier, raptors, snow, winter|

This Northern Harrier displayed interesting behavior, it didn't appear to be hunting but it would dive into the vegetation where it would make a sound that reminded me of parrots chattering.

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Wild and Wonderful – Antelope Island State Park – The Birds

By Mia McPherson|January 25th, 2012|Categories: American Barn Owls, American Kestrels, American White Pelicans, Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Brewer's Blackbirds, Burrowing Owls, California Gulls, Chukars, Common Ravens, Davis County, Great Horned Owls, Green-winged Teals, Horned Larks, Killdeer, Long-billed Curlews, Northern Harriers, Northern Shovelers, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Rough-legged Hawks, Sage Thrashers, Utah, Western Meadowlarks, Willets|Tags: American Barn Owl, American Kestrel, American White Pelican, bird photography, birding, Birds of Antelope Island State Park, Black-billed Magpie, Brewer's Blackbird, Burrowing Owl, California Gull, Chukar, Common Raven, Gray Ghost, Great Horned Owl, Green-winged Teal, Horned Lark, Killdeer, Loggerhead Shrike, Northern Harrier, Northern Shoveler, Peregrine Falcon, Prairie Falcons, Rough-legged Hawk, Sage Thrasher, Western Meadowlark, Willet|

This is the third post in my series about Wild and Wonderful Antelope Island State Park, I've saved the best (and longest) for last. The Birds! Okay, maybe they aren't the best thing about Antelope Island State Park, but I am a bird photographer and they are what I am most passionate about!

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Taking a look back on a few previous Autumn Birds

By Mia McPherson|October 28th, 2011|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Harriers, Pied-billed Grebes, Red-tailed Hawks, Red-winged Blackbirds, Ring-necked Pheasants, Tooele County, Utah, White-crowned Sparrows|Tags: Agelaius phoeniceus, autumn, birds of prey, blackbird, blackbirds, Buteo jamaicensis, Circus hudsonius, desert, Gray Ghost, grebe, grebes, harrier, harriers, hawk, hawks, Northern Harrier, Phasianus colchicus, pheasant, Pickleweed, Pied-billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-winged Blackbird, Ring-necked Pheasant, sparrow, sparrows, White-crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys|

Photographing birds during Autumn is a wonderful time for me in Utah, the beautiful fall colors delight and enthrall me, the air gets nippy and I find myself feeling a surge of energy whenever I am outdoors.

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So ya think ya want to be a bird photographer?

By Mia McPherson|February 8th, 2011|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Burrowing Owls, Davis County, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Humor, Loggerhead Shrikes, Montana, Northern Harriers, Pinellas County, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Semipalmated Plovers, Snowy Egrets, Swainson's Hawks, Utah, Willets|Tags: Athene cunicularia, bird humor, bird photography, birding, Burrowing Owl, Buteo swainsoni, Charadrius semipalmatus, Circus hudsonius, Egretta thula, Gray Ghost, humor, Lanius ludovicianus, Loggerhead Shrike, Northern Harrier, Semipalmated Plover, Snowy Egret, Swainson's Hawk, Tringa semipalmata, Willet|

Be prepared to become addicted to birds. You will have withdrawals if you don't shoot often enough, your shutter button finger will develop a nervous twitch

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Northern Harrier – Gray Ghost

By Mia McPherson|November 24th, 2010|Categories: Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Low light, Northern Harriers, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, birds of prey, Circus hudsonius, fall, flight, flying, Gray Ghost, Gray Ghosts, harrier, harriers, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, hovering, male, marsh, Northern Harrier, raptors, wetlands|

I will have more opportunities with northern harriers in better light this winter and while I wouldn't consider this image perfect, I am happy with the results I obtained while photographing this "Gray Ghost".

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