heat waves – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Focusing On American Herring Gulls – Winter Visitors To Northern Utah

By Mia McPherson|January 9th, 2020|Categories: American Herring Gulls, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: adult, American Herring Gull, breeze, California Gull, clouds, distortion, eating, fish, fishing, frost, gull, gulls, gulping, heat waves, ice, Larus smithsonianus, lifting off, marsh, mixed, mountains, photograph, photographing, prey, Ring-billed Gull, sky, snow, snow-covered, swallowing, water, winter|

I know some people don't get excited about gulls but I do and I was thrilled two days ago at Bear River MBR when I spotted and photographed my first Herring Gulls of this winter season.

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An Immature Rough-legged Hawk Hunting For Prey At Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|December 21st, 2019|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, breeze, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, capturing, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, heat wave distortion, heat waves, immature, marsh, perched, prey, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, snow, wetlands, winter|

Two days ago when I stopped counting Rough-legged Hawks while at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge the number had topped out at fifteen.

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Hen Mallard In Fresh Snow

By Mia McPherson|December 18th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Frustrations in bird photography, Mallards, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: Anas platyrhynchos, dabbling ducks, duck, ducks, frustrations in bird photography, heat wave distortion, heat waves, Mallard, mallards, snow, walking, waterfowl, winter|

This post is about this pretty little Mallard hen walking in the fresh snow that fell during the night two days ago.

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Frustrations of Bird Photography at Below Freezing Temps – Heat Waves Suck

By Mia McPherson|January 7th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: below freezing weather, birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, clouds, frustrations in bird photography, Great Salt Lake, hawks, heat wave distortion, heat waves, ice, Promontory Mountain Range, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, snow, trouble focusing|

Every single image I took yesterday was way softer than they would have been had it not been for those heat waves coming up the side of the pickup. To say I was disappointed is putting it lightly.

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