male – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

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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Midwinter Daydreaming

By Mia McPherson|January 31st, 2023|Categories: Birds, Lazuli Buntings, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: barbed wire, bunting, canyon, daydreaming, fence, immature, Lazuli Bunting, male, mountains, Passerina amoena, perched, summer, young|

I have spent time daydreaming about the birds of spring and summer recently because I have a touch of the midwinter blues. It has been a very gray winter.

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1st Winter Common Goldeneye Drake With A Crawdad

By Mia McPherson|January 22nd, 2023|Categories: Birds, Common Goldeneyes, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: 1st winter, Bucephala clangula, Common Goldeneye, crawdad, crayfish, diving ducks, drake, duck, first winter, goldeneye, goldeneyes, male, ponf, urban, water, winter|

Just a quick post this morning of a photo of a 1st winter Common Goldeneye drake with a crawdad in his bill at my neighborhood pond taken last year.

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Urban Drake Common Merganser Photos

By Mia McPherson|January 20th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Common Mergansers, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: breeding plumage, Common Merganser, dive, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, male, merganser, mergansers, Mergus merganser, neighborhood, pond, Salt Lake County, urban, Utah, water, waterfowl, winter|

I can be way too picky when it comes to sharing my images. Today I'll explain why with these urban drake Common Merganser photos taken at my local pond.

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Simply A Duck On A Rock

By Mia McPherson|January 19th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Mallards, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: Anas platyrhynchos, dabbling ducks, drake, duck, ducks, grasses, male, Mallard, mallards, pond, rock, snow, urban, winter|

I headed down to my neighborhood ponds yesterday morning while there was some sunshine and my favorite image of the day was simply a duck on a rock.

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Ruddy Duck Drake Close To Home

By Mia McPherson|January 17th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Ruddy Ducks, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, breeding plumage, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, male, Oxyura jamaicensis, pond, Ruddy Duck, transitioning, urban, water, winter|

The last time I was at my neighborhood pond I spotted a Ruddy Duck drake out in the middle of the water who was starting to transition into breeding plumage.

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Male Red-winged Blackbird In January

By Mia McPherson|January 15th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Red-winged Blackbirds, Utah|Tags: adult, Agelaius phoeniceus, blackbird, blackbirds, branch, close up, displaying, male, marsh, perched, Red-winged Blackbird, sky, up close, wetlands, winter|

While I was at Farmington Bay WMA three days ago I stopped to photograph a male Red-winged Blackbird that I spotted on an old dead branch.

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Rough-legged Hawk Staredown

By Mia McPherson|January 11th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, close up, cold, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, light morph, male, marsh, mountains, perched, portrait, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, sign, sky, snow, staredown, wetlands, winter|

One year ago this morning I was on the road to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge where my best subject of the day was a male light morph Rough-legged Hawk.

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Sawgrass Lake Park Photos

By Mia McPherson|January 9th, 2023|Categories: Anhingas, Birds, Florida, Pinellas County, Sawgrass Lake Park|Tags: adult, anhinga, Anhinga anhinga, anhingas, branches, golden light, grasses, hills, lake, leaves, male, misty, morning, nesting material, Spanish Moss, summer, Tillandsia usneoides, tree, trees, water, wetlands|

This morning I am traveling back in time via my archives to revisit Sawgrass Lake Park in Pinellas County, Florida.

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Dapper Mallard Drake In Snow

By Mia McPherson|January 5th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Mallards, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: Anas platyrhynchos, dabbling ducks, dapper, drake, duck, ducks, male, Mallard, mallards, snow, snowy, urban, waterfowl, winter|

After I photographed the handsome Gadwall drake that I shared yesterday I couldn't resist taking images of this alert and dapper Mallard drake in the snow.

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Gadwall Drake Resting In Snow

By Mia McPherson|January 4th, 2023|Categories: American Coots, Birds, Leucistic, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, American Coot, coot, coots, dabbling ducks, drake, duck, ducks, foraging, Fulica americana, Gadwall, gadwalls, leucism, leucistic, male, Mareca strepera, plumage aberration, pond, resting, snow, tree, trunk, urban, water, winter|

This morning I'm sharing photos of a Gadwall drake resting in snow plus a bonus photo of the leucistic American Coot taken yesterday in afternoon light.

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My 2022 Year In Review

By Mia McPherson|December 31st, 2022|Categories: American Kestrels, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Box Elder County, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Golden Eagles, Great Horned Owls, Horned Grebes, Morgan County, Ring-billed Gulls, Rock Wrens, Ruffed Grouse, Tundra Swans, Utah, Warbling Vireos, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: adult, Amelanchier utahensis, American Kestrel, Aquila chrysaetos, autumn, background, berries, Bewick's Swan, bill, birds of prey, Black-billed Magpie, blooming, blooms, blossoms, Bonasa umbellus, boulder, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Bubo virginianus, building, canyon, close up, corvids, Cygnus columbianus, Cygnus columbianus bewickii, Davis County, desert, dirt, eagle, eagles, Falco sparverius, falcon, falcons, fall, farmlands, female, fledgling, flight, flock, flowering, flowering shrub, flying, forest edge, fruiting shrub, fruits, fruting shrubs, Golden Eagle, gorget, Great Horned Owl, grebe, grebes, grouse, gull, gulls, Horned Grebe, hummingbird, hummingbirds, immature, juvenile, kestrel, kestrels, Larus delawarensis, lichen, lores, magpie, magpies, male, marsh, mountains, nest, nest box, nesting, nonbreeding plumage, owl, owls, perched, Pica hudsonia, Podiceps auritus, raptors, rare, reflection, Ring-billed Gull, riparian habitat, road, roadside, rock, Rock Wren, rocks, Ruffed Grouse, Salpinctes obsoletus, Selasphorus platycercus, serviceberries, serviceberry, Setophaga petechia, shrub, spring, stink-eye, summer, swan, swans, thicket, tree, Tundra Swans, Utah, Utah Serviceberry, vagrant, warbler, warblers, water, waterbirds, waterfowl, wetlands, willow, willow thicket, willows, winter, winter plumage, wood-warbler, wood-warblers, wren, wrens, Yellow Warbler, young|

On this last day of the year it is time for my annual 2022 Year in Review post. In some ways 2022 has been great for me and in others not so good.

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Christmas Day American Kestrel

By Mia McPherson|December 25th, 2022|Categories: American Kestrels, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Salt Lake County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, afternoon, American Kestrel, Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, clouds, Falco sparverius, falcon, falcons, Falcons of Utah, haze, hazy, male, marsh, mountains, peaks, perched, sky, snow, Wasatch Mountain Range, Wasatch Mountains, wetlands, winter, winter inversion, wooden post|

I photographed this Christmas Day American Kestrel in 2020 at Farmington Bay WMA. That Christmas Day was bright and sunny, today isn't going to be at all.

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Immature Male Common Goldeneye And Catfish

By Mia McPherson|December 16th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Common Goldeneyes, San Juan County, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, Bucephala clangula, catfish, Common Goldeneye, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, fall, first winter, fish, food, immature, look, male, over the shoulder, pond, prey, urban, water, waterfowl, young|

On this day two years ago, I photographed this immature male Common Goldeneye with a catfish at the pond in my neighborhood. It was a chilly, wintry afternoon.

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Crabapples, Snow And Male House Finch Photos

By Mia McPherson|December 9th, 2022|Categories: Birds, House Finches, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: autumn, bill, branches, crabapple, crabapple tree, crabapples, eating, fall, finch, finches, fruit, gorging, Haemorhous mexicanus, House Finch, male, Malus, perched, sky, snow, snowy, tree, urban|

After I cleared the snow from my Jeep yesterday morning, I went out for a bit and took a few male House Finch photos as they feasted on crabapples.

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Three Drake Redhead Photos

By Mia McPherson|November 24th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, Aythya americana, bill, breeding plumage, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, fall, foot, male, pond, Redhead, redheads, shaking, stretching, tipping, urban, water|

This morning I am sharing three drake Redhead photos that I took at my local pond two evenings ago before the golden light of sunset had started to glow.

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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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Great-tailed Grackle And A Weathervane

By Mia McPherson|November 20th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: autumn, Bass, calling, fall, grackle, grackles, Great-tailed Grackle, male, Quiscalus mexicanus, roof, singing, sky, urban, Weathervane|

On a recent walk around my local pond, I heard the call of a male Great-tailed Grackle. When I found it, I giggled out loud because of where it was perched.

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Drake Mallard And Reflections

By Mia McPherson|November 19th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Mallards, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Anas platyrhynchos, autumn, Cottonwood, dabbling ducks, drake, duck, ducks, fall, leaf, light pole, male, Mallard, mallards, reflections, urban, water, waterfowl|

This morning I am sharing a simple drake Mallard photo taken at my local pond. I liked this image because of the reflections of the duck, light pole and leaf.

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My First Of Season Common Goldeneye

By Mia McPherson|November 12th, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Common Goldeneyes, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: autumn, Bear River, Bucephala clangula, Common Goldeneye, diving ducks, drake, duck, ducks, fall, first of season, lifting off, male, pond, preening, river, taking off, urban, water, waterfowl, wetlands, winter|

I found my first of season Common Goldeneye near a stand of rushes while walking around a local pond after a light skiff of snow had fallen overnight.

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Redhead Ducks At My Local Pond

By Mia McPherson|November 7th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Aythya americana, drake, duck, ducks, female, flapping, hen, male, pond, Redhead, shadowed, urban, urban birds, water, waterfowl, wings, winter|

Yesterday morning I took a brief walk at my local pond and was thrilled to see a small flock of Redhead ducks resting together on the surface of the pond.

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Autumn California Quail Covey

By Mia McPherson|October 31st, 2022|Categories: Birds, California Quails, Jordan River Parkway Trail, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, California Quail, Callipepla californica, covey, fall, female, leaf, leaves, male, quail, quails, Salt Lake County, upland terrestrial birds, urban, Utah|

While walking along the Jordan River yesterday, I came upon a covey of about 25 California Quail. I was able to get close enough to photograph a few of them.

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Rough-legged Hawk Season Has Begun

By Mia McPherson|October 25th, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: adult, back view, birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, close up, frost, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, light morph, male, marsh, perched, portrait, raptors, refuge information sign, Rough-legged Hawk, wetlands, winter|

Rough-legged Hawk season has begun in northern Utah. I spotted my first of season Rough-legged Hawks on the wing last Friday.

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Jordan River Mallard Drake

By Mia McPherson|October 20th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Mallards, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Anas platyrhynchos, autumn, drake, duck, ducks, fall, Jordan River, Jordan River Parkway Trail, Jordan River Trail, low light, male, Mallard, river, urban, water, waterfowl|

I took this low light Mallard drake photo yesterday while I walked along the Jordan River in the chill of the early morning.

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Band-winged and Striped Meadowhawk Dragonfly Photos

By Mia McPherson|October 18th, 2022|Categories: Band-winged Meadowhawks, Davis County, Dragonflies, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Striped Meadowhawks, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, Band-winged Meadowhawk, boulder, dragonflies, dragonfly, fall, female, hanging, male, marsh, meadowhawk, meadowhawks, odonata, resting, rock, Striped Meadowhawk, Sympetrum pallipes, Sympetrum semicinctum, wetlands|

At Farmington Bay WMA yesterday I saw and photographed two kinds of meadowhawk dragonflies including this Band-winged Meadowhawk resting on a boulder.

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Recent Wild Turkey Images

By Mia McPherson|October 14th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wild Turkeys|Tags: adult, autumn, beard, canyon, close up, colors, creek, creekside, fall, long, male, Meleagris gallopavo, mountains, plumage, tom, turkey, turkeys, upland terrestrial birds, Wild Turkey|

On my three recent trips up into the Wasatch Mountains I have been able to take Wild Turkey images on two of the chilly mornings.

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Male Spotted Towhee – Urban Birds

By Mia McPherson|October 10th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Jordan River Parkway Trail, Salt Lake County, Spotted Towhees, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, branches, Crataegus rivularis, fall, hawthorn, hawthorns, male, Pipilo maculatus, sky, sparrow, sparrows, Spotted Towhee, towhee, towhees, tree, urban, urban birds|

Today I'm sharing a photo of a male Spotted Towhee that I captured yesterday while walking along the Jordan River in Salt Lake County early in the morning.

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Surprise Rooster At Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|October 5th, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Domestic Chickens, Utah|Tags: Barred Plymouth Rock, chicken, chickens, Gallus gallus domesticus, male, marsh, rooster, wetlands|

I had a surprise encounter with a Barred Plymouth Rock rooster when I stopped at the Bear River MBR restroom closest to the I-15 Interstate last week.

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Red-winged Blackbird In Warm Morning Light

By Mia McPherson|October 2nd, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Red-winged Blackbirds, Utah|Tags: adult, Agelaius phoeniceus, autumn, blackbird, blackbirds, fall, male, marsh, morning light, perched, phragmites, phrags, Red-winged Blackbird, warm, wetlands|

At Bear River MBR two days ago, I paused to take pictures of this Red-winged Blackbird in the warm morning light despite the mosquitoes trying to bite my neck.

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Male Brewer’s Blackbird On A Sign

By Mia McPherson|October 1st, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Brewer's Blackbirds, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, blackbird, blackbirds, Brewer's Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus, fall, feet, interpretive sign, male, marsh, perched, sign, staring, wetlands|

While traveling the auto tour loop at Bear River MBR yesterday morning, I was thrilled to see an adult male Brewer's Blackbird on an interpretive sign.

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