lichens – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

International Vulture Awareness Day 2023

By Mia McPherson|September 2nd, 2023|Categories: Birds, Black Vultures, Box Elder County, Oklahoma, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Turkey Vultures, Utah|Tags: adult, Black Vulture, bottomland hardwood forests, bottomlands, Cathartes aura, cliff face, Coragyps atratus, desert, foothills, immature, juvenile, lichen, lichens, nest, nesting cavity tree, ranchlands, raptors, rocks, roosting, spring, Steve Creek, summer, tree, Turkey Vulture, vulture, vultures, young|

Today is International Vulture Awareness Day 2023. I admit to having a soft spot for vultures because they are often misunderstood, and because I tend to stand up for those who have no voice.

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My First Of Season Turkey Vulture Images

By Mia McPherson|April 21st, 2023|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Turkey Vultures, Utah|Tags: adult, Cathartes aura, desert, first of season, lichen, lichens, outcropping, raptor, resting, rocks, rocky, spring, Turkey Vulture, vulture, vultures|

I took my first Turkey Vulture images of the season two days ago. That is later than usual for me, but this spring hasn't been normal at all.

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I’m Lichen This Say’s Phoebe

By Mia McPherson|April 20th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Say's Phoebes, Utah|Tags: adult, cliff, cliff face, desert, lichen, lichens, phoebe, phoebes, Say's Phoebe, Sayornis saya, spring|

I photographed this Say's Phoebe yesterday morning way up in northern Utah. There were actually two of the phoebes in the area but this one came in the closest.

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Red-tailed Hawk Pre-Lift Off

By Mia McPherson|March 15th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Box Elder County, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteo jamaicensis calurus, Buteos, desert, grasses, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, lichens, lift off, pre-lift off, raptors, red tail, Red-tailed Hawk, rocks, rufous, sky, take off, Utah, winter|

It's been about four years since I photographed this rufous Red-tailed Hawk in in a pre-lift off pose way up in northern Utah. This pose can be hard to capture.

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Coyote On A Sunny Spring Morning

By Mia McPherson|March 11th, 2023|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Coyotes, Davis County, Utah|Tags: adult, canids, Canis latrans, Coyote, coyotes, desert island, hillside, lichens, mammals, rocks, rocky, sage, sagebrush, spring, standing|

I came across this image I took of a Coyote standing on rocks on a sunny spring morning yesterday and realized that I miss seeing coyotes as often as I used to.

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A Shadow Will Be Seen

By Mia McPherson|February 2nd, 2023|Categories: Box Elder County, Utah, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: adult, desert, foothills, ground squirrels, Groundhog Day, lichens, male, marmot, Marmota flaviventris, marmots, Promontory Mountains, rocks, winter, Yellow-bellied Marmot|

This morning a shadow will be seen by any Yellow-bellied Marmots that venture above the snow-covered, frozen ground in northern Utah.

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Juvenile Green-tailed and Spotted Towhee Side By Side

By Mia McPherson|July 10th, 2022|Categories: Bird ID, Birds, Green-tailed Towhees, Morgan County, Salt Lake County, Spotted Towhees, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, chick, comparison, fence post, fledgling, Green-tailed Towhee, immature, Jordan River, juvenile, lichens, low light, male, mountains, perched, Pipilo chlorurus, Pipilo maculatus, riparian habitat, river, snow, sparrow, sparrows, Spotted Towhee, spring, summer, towhee, towhees, urban, willows, winter, wooden post, young|

Until two days ago I had never gotten photos of a juvenile Green-tailed and young Spotted Towhee in the same frame so I was thrilled when I saw them fly in.

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Loggerhead Shrike Population Decline Concerns

By Mia McPherson|April 23rd, 2022|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Loggerhead Shrikes, Utah|Tags: adult, desert, Lanius ludovicianus, lichen, lichen covered, lichens, Loggerhead Shrike, perched, population decline, rock, rocks, shrike, shrikes, spring|

About two weeks ago I found an adult Loggerhead Shrike perched on a lichen covered rock in northern Utah a good distance from the road that I was on.

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Springtime Rock Wren Photos

By Mia McPherson|April 11th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Rock Wrens, Utah|Tags: adult, blue, Box Elder County, clear, cliff, desert, desert habitat, lichen, lichen covered, lichens, nesting materials, perched, rock, Rock Wren, rocks, Salpinctes obsoletus, sky, spring, staring, Utah, wren, wrens|

Any time I have a Rock Wren in my viewfinder is a good day for me. Yesterday was an especially good day because I had two nesting adult Rock Wrens to focus on.

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Winter Rock Wren Photos

By Mia McPherson|February 7th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Rock Wrens, Utah|Tags: adult, Box Elder County, desert, lichen, lichen covered, lichens, rock, Rock Wren, rocks, Salpinctes obsoletus, Utah, winter, wren, wrens|

Yesterday I found and pointed out a bunch of birds in northern Utah. The long distance Rock Wren photos I took were the birds that brought me the most joy.

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Squirrel Appreciation Day 2022

By Mia McPherson|January 21st, 2022|Categories: Box Elder County, Least Chipmunks, Morgan County, Summit County, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: baby, calling, canyon, chipmunk, chipmunks, desert, fence post, ground squirrel, ground squirrels, Least Chipmunk, lichen, lichens, mammals, marmot, Marmota flaviventris, marmots, mountains, Neotamias minimus, playing, pup, pups, rock, rocks, rodents, spring, squirrel, squirrels, stretching, summer, Uinta Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus armatus, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow-bellied Marmot, young|

January 21st is Squirrel Appreciation Day around the globe. There are many reasons to appreciate these furry, four legged, cute creatures.

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Yellow-bellied Marmot Out And About In January

By Mia McPherson|January 16th, 2022|Categories: Box Elder County, Utah, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: adult, climate change, desert, hibernation, January, lichen, lichen covered, lichens, mammals, marmot, Marmota flaviventris, marmots, rock, rocks, rodents, sky, too early, winter, Yellow-bellied Marmot|

I found and pointed out dozens of birds yesterday but the biggest surprise to me was spotting a Yellow-bellied Marmot out and about in the middle of January.

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Immature Light Morph Red-tailed Hawk Plus A Dark Morph Adult

By Mia McPherson|September 19th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: adult, Artemisia tridentata, Big Sagebrush, birds of prey, Box Elder County, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteos, cliff, cliff face, dark morph, desert, flight, flying, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, lichen, lichens, light morph, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk, rock, rock face, rocks, sage, sagebrush, sky, summer, Utah, young|

When I spotted the light colored breast of this immature light morph Red-tailed Hawk from a distance it seemed to glow in the morning light.

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Wasatch Mountain Canyon Cliff Swallow

By Mia McPherson|July 12th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Cliff Swallows, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, branch, canyon, Cliff Swallow, dead, lichens, mountains, perched, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, summer, swallow, swallows|

Last week before the smoke started to darken the skies in northern Utah I had a few seconds to photograph an adult Cliff Swallow next to a steep mountain road.

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Rock Squirrel Resting On A Lichen Encrusted Boulder

By Mia McPherson|September 13th, 2020|Categories: Rock Squirrels, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, boulder, canyon, lichen, lichen covered, lichen encrusted, lichens, mountains, Otospermophilus variegatus, resting, rock, Rock Squirrel, squirrel, squirrels|

I spent the morning up in the Wasatch Mountains yesterday where one of the furry creatures I saw and photographed was a Rock Squirrel on a lichen encrusted boulder.

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Well Hello There Green-tailed Towhee – I’ve Been Expecting You

By Mia McPherson|May 30th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Green-tailed Towhees, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, encrysted, fence post, Green-tailed Towhee, lichen covered, lichens, male, mountains, Pipilo chlorurus, side profile, sparrow, sparrows, spring, towhee, towhees, wooden post|

I heard the male Green-tailed Towhee before I could see him perched on the weathered post with lichens on the top so a view of him was no surprise for me.

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