Great Blue Heron – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Riverbank Red-tailed Hawk Dining Al Fresco

By Mia McPherson|January 9th, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: al fresco, bank, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteos, close up, dining, eating, first winter, grass, grasses, Great Blue Heron, hawk, hawks, ice, immature, portrait, prey, raptors, river, river bank, riverbank, Utah, wetlands, winter, young|

Yesterday morning I photographed an immature Red-tailed Hawk dining al fresco on the bank of the Bear River on my way back to I-15 to head home.

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Winter Great Blue Heron Photos From Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|January 7th, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, clouds, frost, frosty, frozen, Great Blue Heron, gulls, habitat, heron, herons, ice, ice shelf, lift off, lifting off, marsh, mountains, reflection, sky, slowly, take off, taking off, wading birds, walking, water, wetlands, winter|

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge can be a great location to take winter Great Blue Heron photos out on the frozen marshes and wetlands during January.

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Christmas Day Birds 2021

By Mia McPherson|December 26th, 2021|Categories: American Coots, Birds, California Gulls, Common Goldeneyes, Great Blue Herons, Great-tailed Grackles, Mallards, Rough-legged Hawks|Tags: adult, American Coot, Anas platyrhynchos, Ardea herodias, breeding plumage, Bucephala clangula, Buteo lagopus, California Gull, calling, Christmas, Christmas Day, close up, Common Goldeneye, coot, coots, crawdad, crayfish, dabbling ducks, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, eating, female, first winter, flight, flying, foraging, Fulica americana, goldeneye, goldeneyes, grackle, grackles, grass, gray sky, Great Blue Heron, Great-tailed Grackle, gull, gulls, hawk, hawks, heron, herons, hovering, Icterids, immature, Larus californicus, low light, male, Mallard, mallards, marsh, nonbreeding plumage, open bill, pond, portrait, Quiscalus mexicanus, rails, Rough-legged Hawk, splashing, urban, wading birds, water, water droplets, wetlands, winter, young|

I did get out to find and photograph birds on Christmas Day at Farmington Bay WMA and then later in the morning I found more closer to home.

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Christmas Day Bird Photos Through the Years

By Mia McPherson|December 25th, 2021|Categories: Bald Eagles, Birds, Common Mergansers, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, Bald Eagle, birds of prey, Common Merganser, diving ducks, duck ducks, eagle, eagles, flight, flying, foggy, four year old, Great Blue Heron, haks, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, hawk, heron, herons, immature, marsh, merganser, mergansers, Mergus merganser, perched, post, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk, sky, snow, snow storm, subadult, tree, water, wetlands, winter, young|

These are all birds I have photographed on Christmas Day through the years and all of them were photographed at Farmington Bay WMA.

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Great Blue Heron Photos Taken on The Winter Solstice

By Mia McPherson|December 22nd, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, Bear River, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, chest, driftwood, feathers, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, icy, landing, perched, river, riverbank, snag, snow, Solstice, Utah, wading birds, wetlands, winter|

To my delight I was able to take Great Blue Heron photos yesterday on the Winter Solstice that I found on the banks of the Bear River at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

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Well Crap – Another Cloudy Day

By Mia McPherson|October 27th, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: Ardea herodias, autumn, cloudy, crap, crapping, defecating, fall, field, flats, Great Blue Heron, hatch year, heron, herons, immature, juvenile, marsh, pooping, refuge, wading birds, weather, wetlands, young|

I selected this hatch year Great Blue Heron photo to share today because it showed the young bird taking a crap on the flats of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

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Great Blue Heron, Belt of Venus and Earth Shadow Memories

By Mia McPherson|October 15th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, atomospheric conditions, Belt of Venus, coast, coastal, dune, earth shadow, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, low light, pre-dawn, predawn light, preening, sand, sky, wading birds, walking, wind, windy|

Thirteen years ago this morning I photographed a Great Blue Heron, Belt of Venus and the Earth Shadow on the north beach of Fort De Soto County Park on the west coast of Florida.

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Great Blue Heron In The High Country

By Mia McPherson|August 19th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Great Blue Herons, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, air quality, Ardea herodias, canyon, creek, fire, grasses, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, mountains, rain, smoke, stream, summer, wading birds, water, wind|

It has been a week now since I photographed this Great Blue Heron and have been able to get out into the field because of smoke, wind, fire, and rain.

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Great Blue Heron and Mountain Goldenbanner

By Mia McPherson|June 2nd, 2021|Categories: Birds, Great Blue Herons, Morgan County, Small in the frame, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildflowers|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, blooming, blooms, canyon, Filamentous algae, flowering, grasses, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, Mountain Goldenbanner, mountain meadow, Mountain Thermopsis, mountains, pond, spring, Thermopsis montana, wading birds, water, wildflowers, willows, yellow wildflowers|

Yesterday I wrote about a Golden Eagle in the Wasatch Mountains. Today I am writing about "golden" again. Blooming Mountain Goldenbanner and a Great Blue Heron.

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Great Blue Heron In Flight Photos

By Mia McPherson|May 1st, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, banked, clouds, diffused light, dorsal aspect, flight, flying, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, high, marsh, morning, on the wing, Promontory Mountains, spread, spring, sunlight, thin, wading birds, wetlands, wings|

Today I am sharing seven Great Blue Heron in flight photos from the marsh at Bear River MBR that I took three days ago.

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An Assortment Of Spring Birds From Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|April 23rd, 2021|Categories: American White Pelicans, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Clark's Grebes, Double-crested Cormorants, Eared Grebes, Forster's Terns, Gadwalls, Great Blue Herons, Long-billed Curlews, Red-winged Blackbirds, Sandhill Cranes, Utah, Western Grebes, White-faced Ibises, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: adult, Aechmophorus clarkii, Aechmophorus occidentalis, Agelaius phoeniceus, Antigone canadensis, Ardea herodias, Bear River, birds, breeding plumage, Clark's Grebe, Definitive Alternate Plumage, displaying, Double-crested Cormorant, Eared Grebe, flight, flying, Forster's Tern, Gadwall, Great Blue Heron, horn, Long-billed Curlew, Mareca strepera, marsh, Mergus serrator, Nannopterum auritus, Numenius americanus, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, Plegadis chihi, Podiceps nigricollis, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-winged Blackbird, river, Sandhill Crane, spring, Sterna forsteri, Weed Ceremony, Western Grebe, wetlands, white pelican, White-faced Ibis, Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, Yellow-headed Blackbird|

Today I wanted to share an assortment of spring birds all photographed at Bear River MBR yesterday on a bright and beautiful morning.

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Great Blue Heron Foraging In A Farm Pond

By Mia McPherson|April 22nd, 2021|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, farm pond, foraging, golden light, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, sun rise, sunrise, wading birds, water|

Two days ago the second bird I photographed was a Great Blue Heron foraging in a farm pond just after sunrise in Box Elder County.

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Spring Great Blue Heron Photos

By Mia McPherson|April 17th, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, celebrate, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, marsh, marshes, river, spring, survival, wading, wading birds, wetlands, winter|

The first Great Blue Heron was quietly wading through the water in search of prey and the second heron was looking at something in the distance.

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Immature Great Blue Heron On Ice

By Mia McPherson|January 9th, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: Ardea herodias, first winter, fluffy, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, ice, immature, landing, marsh, rest, resting, wading birds, walking, winter, young|

Three days ago I photographed an immature Great Blue Heron on ice from the auto tour route at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

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Immature Great Blue Heron On Christmas Day

By Mia McPherson|December 28th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: Ardea herodias, Christmas Day, close up, field, first winter, foraging, grass, grasses, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, immature, portrait, rookery, wading birds, winter, young|

One of my Christmas Day gifts from Mother Nature was the chance to photograph an immature Great Blue Heron in a field.

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Five Bird Photos From Christmas Day 2020

By Mia McPherson|December 26th, 2020|Categories: American Kestrels, Bald Eagles, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: adult, American Kestrel, Ardea herodias, Bald Eagle, birds of prey, branches, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteos, Christmas Day, close up, eagle, eales, Falco sparverius, falcon, falcons, Falcons of Utah, field, first winter, Great Blue Heron, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, heron, herons, immature, lift off, lifting off, male, marsh, mountains, perched, pole, portrait, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk, sky, take off, taking off, tree, wading birds, wooden post, young|

Much to my delight I was able to photograph some birds on Christmas Day at Farmington Bay WMA yesterday morning.

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Great Blue Heron Resting On A Goose Nest

By Mia McPherson|December 22nd, 2020|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, common, goose nest, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, human made, ice, man made, marsh, nest, resting, wading birds, water, wetlands, winter|

When I found this Great Blue Heron resting on a man made goose nest yesterday morning at Farmington Bay WMA I knew I wanted to photograph it.

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Still Life – Great Blue Heron And Its Reflection

By Mia McPherson|December 14th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, frost, frozen, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, ice, marsh, reflections, shore, still life, vegetation, wading birds, water, wetlands, winter|

Great Blue Herons are very patient hunters and there are times when they are hunting that they move so slowly that it is barely perceptible.

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Photographing An Immature Great Blue Heron At Farmington Bay

By Mia McPherson|November 19th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: Ardea herodias, bank, foraging, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, immature, looking, marsh, mud, overhead, photographing, rocks, shore, sky, wading birds, water, young|

Three days ago I spotted an immature Great Blue Heron resting at the edge of the water at Farmington Bay WMA and couldn't resist taking photos of it.

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Great Blue Herons Aren’t Really Blue – So What’s Up With Their Name?

By Mia McPherson|November 10th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: Ardea herodias, bird identification, bird names, flight, flying, frozen, Great Blue Heron, habitat, heron, herons, ice, marsh, marsh habitat, mountains, resting, sky, snow, wading birds, water, wetlands, winter|

The name "Great Blue Heron" has always seemed off to me because these large herons are much more gray than they are blue.

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Immature Great Blue Heron – With And Without The Hand Of Man

By Mia McPherson|October 22nd, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: autumn, fall, flight, flying, Great Blue Heron, hand of man, heron, herons, immature, lift off, marsh, midges, mountains, observation deck, sky, take off, wading birds, wetlands, young|

Is one of these immature Great Blue Heron images more visually appealing than the other? That depends on the personal tastes of the person viewing them.

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Resting Great Blue Herons In The Wasatch Mountains

By Mia McPherson|July 27th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Great Blue Herons, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, alpine, Ardea herodias, creek, East Canyon Creek, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, mountains, riparian habitat, wading birds, water|

I'm actually more than a touch fascinated by the Great Blue Herons I see, observe and photograph in the higher altitudes of the Wasatch Mountains.

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Great Blue Heron Standing In A Mountain Creek

By Mia McPherson|July 9th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Great Blue Herons, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, canyon, creek, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, mountains, rock, standing, stream, wading birds, water, willows|

When I found this Great Blue Heron standing on a rock surrounded by the fast moving waters of a mountain creek I knew I wanted photos of it.

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Winter Great Blue Heron On Ice

By Mia McPherson|March 1st, 2020|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, cold, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, ice, icy, marsh, nest building, nesting, nests, pond, snow, standing, wading birds, warm, wetlands, winter|

This may have been my last chance this winter to photograph a Great Blue Heron on ice so I am glad I took photos of it as it landed and cautiously walked around on the ice.

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Great Blue Herons Seeking Shelter From Winter’s Wind

By Mia McPherson|February 10th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, cold, flight, flying Wasatch Range, frozen, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, marsh, shelter, sheltering, sky, snow, wading birds, wetlands, windy, winter|

The Great Blue Herons were hunkered down in the rushes with the warmth of the sunlight on them but they still looked cold.

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Photographing A Great Blue Heron Flying In Dense Fog

By Mia McPherson|February 3rd, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: Ardea herodias, dense fog, flight, flying, focusing, fog, foggy, foggy conditions, Great Blue Heron, heavy fog, heron, herons, ice, landing, marsh, on the wing, photographing, primordial swamps, snow, time-traveler, wading birds, wetlands, winter|

These Great Blue Heron images also help me to "see" what this species would have looked like as they lived their lives in primordial swamps, estuaries and marshes hundreds of thousands of years ago.

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Great Blue Herons In Heavy Fog At Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

By Mia McPherson|January 28th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, challenges, fog, foggy, Great Blue Heron, heavy fog, heron, herons, ice, landing, marsh, skills, snow, wading birds, wetlands, winter|

These foggy Great Blue Heron photos are probably the foggiest images in my portfolio and despite that I truly like how they turned out.

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Concentrating On Great Blue Herons In Winter

By Mia McPherson|January 20th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: Ardea herodias, flight, flying, frost, frozen, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, ice, lift off, lifting off, marsh, mountains, resting, snow, wading birds, winter, wintry|

There were plenty of Great Blue Herons to photograph yesterday morning at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and I was more than happy to take photos of them.

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Photographing Great Blue Herons On The Frozen Marshes Of Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|January 8th, 2020|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: Ardea herodias, cold, frost covered, frozen, Great Blue Heron, gulls, harsh, heron, herons, ice, mammals, marsh, mountains, photograph, photographing, resting, snow, strong, tough, wading birds, walking, weather, wetlands, winter, winter conditions|

Yesterday morning I spent time focusing on photographing Great Blue Herons on the frozen marshes of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

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Great Blue Heron In Winter Snow

By Mia McPherson|December 15th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, creek, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, marsh, shadow, snow, snow bank, wading birds, water, wetlands, winter|

On that bright winter afternoon one of my best avian subjects was this Great Blue Heron standing in water with a bank of fresh, white snow behind it.

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