Merlin – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Female Merlin On International Women’s Day

By Mia McPherson|March 8th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Merlins, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Bradford Pear, branches, Callery Pear, clouds, Falco columbarius, Falco columbarius columbarius, falcon, falcons, female, International Women's Day, Merlin, merlins, perched, Pyrus calleryana, raptors, sky, subspecies, Taiga, tree, urban, winter|

I found and photographed this female Merlin at my local pond last month, and she seemed to be the perfect bird for me to share on International Women's Day.

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Surprise Merlin Photos – Two Merlins In A Pear Tree

By Mia McPherson|February 15th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Merlins, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Bradford Pear, branches, Callery Pear, clouds, Falco columbarius, Falco columbarius columbarius, falcon, falcons, female, Merlin, merlins, perched, Pyrus calleryana, raptors, sky, subspecies, Taiga, tree, urban, winter|

I was at one of my local ponds yesterday morning when a gorgeous adult female Merlin flew in and landed on a tree not far from where I stood behind my tripod.

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Bird Battle: Belted Kingfisher vs. Merlin

By Mia McPherson|October 13th, 2023|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Merlins, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, aggressive behavior, alpine, autumn, bathed, bathing, behavior, Belted Kingfisher, bothering, canyon, creek, dive-bombed, drinking, falcon, falcons, fall, harassed, interaction, kingfisher, kingfishers, male, Megaceryle alcyon, Merlin, merlins, mountains, predator, prey, riparian habitat, water|

Little did I know that on my last trip up into the Wasatch Mountains, that I would witness a battle between a Belted Kingfisher and my first-of-season Merlin.

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Adult Male Prairie Merlin At Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|January 28th, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Merlins, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, desert, Falco columbarius, Falco columbarius richardsonii, falcon, falcons, fence post, flats, gate, male, Merlin, merlins, perched, prairie, raptors, red gate, winter, wooden post|

One of the birds I photographed yesterday at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge was an adult male Prairie Merlin that I spotted on a fence post close to the road.

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Merlin On A Large Wooden Post At Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|December 7th, 2021|Categories: Bald Eagles, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Merlins, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, Bald Eagle, birds of prey, eagle, eagles, Falco columbarius, Falco columbarius richardsonii, falcon, falcons, fall, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, ice, marsh, Merlin, merlins, perched, Prairie Merlin, raptors, small in frame, wetlands, winter, wooden post|

Last week I spotted a Merlin perched on a large wooden post way out in the marsh at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in northern Utah.

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Merlin Memories

By Mia McPherson|October 12th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Merlins, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, branch, Falco columbarius, falcon, female/immature, first of season, fog, foggy, high key, marsh, Merlin, prairie subspecies, raptors, snow, snowy, tree, wetlands, winter|

I noticed in my Facebook memories that four years ago this morning was when I found my first of season Merlin out on the mudflats at Farmington Bay WMA.

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2020 Photographic Year In Review

By Mia McPherson|December 31st, 2020|Categories: Bald Eagles, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Bushtits, Common Loons, Cooper’s Hawks, Desert Tarantulas, Eastern Kingbirds, Elk, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Ferruginous Hawks, Golden Eagles, Gray Catbirds, Great Blue Herons, Green Herons, Green-tailed Towhees, Merlins, Mountain Bluebirds, Nashville Warblers, Northern Harriers, Pine Siskins, Red Foxes, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Red-tailed Hawks, Ring-billed Gulls, Rusty Blackbirds, Short-eared Owls, Townsend's Solitaires, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, West Desert, Wild Turkeys, Wildflowers, Yellow Warblers|Tags: 5.7 earthquake, blackbirds, bluebirds, catbirds, coronavirus, eagles, Elk, fox, ground squirrels, gulls, harriers, hawks, herons, hummingbirds, kingbirds, loons, Merlin, owls, rare birds, red tailed hawks, siskins, tarantula, towhees, turkeys, uncommon, wablers, year in review|

This is my 2020 photographic year in review. I'm selecting some of my favorite photos from 2020 and a few that just make me happy to see them.

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Merlin And American Kestrels – Two Falcon Species In A Day

By Mia McPherson|November 13th, 2020|Categories: American Kestrels, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Merlins, Utah|Tags: adult, adult/immature, American Kestrel, autumn, blue sky, Davis County, Falco columbarius, Falco sparverius, falcon, falcons, Farmington Bay WMA, female, kestrel, kestrels, male, marsh, Merlin, merlins, perched, prairie, sky, subspecies, Utah|

Any time I can see and photograph two falcon species in a single day is a great day and yesterday I photographed a Prairie Merlin and several American Kestrels.

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Poof: Utah’s Merlins Could Disappear

By Mia McPherson|August 13th, 2019|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Beaverhead County, Birds, Box Elder County, Centennial Valley, Conservation, Environment, Merlins, Montana, Utah|Tags: adult, burn area, climate change, climate crisis, disappear, early morning, Falco columbarius, Falco columbarius richardsonii, falcon, falcons, fence, marsh, Merlin, merlins, perched, post, prairie, prey, wetlands|

In my experience Merlins are already hard to find in the state of Utah but because of our climate crisis they could become even more difficult to locate or they might even disappear from the state altogether.

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Two Merlins Were My Best Finds Of The Day At Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|April 24th, 2019|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Merlins, Utah|Tags: adult, Bear River, birds of prey, Falco columbarius, Falco columbarius richardsonii, falcon, falcons, marsh, Merlin, merlins, perched, prairie, prey, raptors, river, spring, surprise, wetlands|

There isn't a single day in the field where I take my eyesight and my keen spotting abilities for granted and yesterday those attributes netted me not one but two Merlins while I was at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

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First of Season Merlin – Odd Behavior and Possible Explanation

By Mia McPherson|October 13th, 2017|Categories: American Pipits, Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Merlins, Montana, Utah|Tags: adult, alkali flats, American Pipits, Anthus rubescens, Falco columbarius, Falco columbarius richardsonii, falcon, falcons, flats, marsh, Merlin, merlins, perched, pipits, prey, wetlands|

I spotted my first of the season Merlin yesterday morning out on the flats at Farmington Bay yesterday morning and it truly delighted me.

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Merlin in Southwestern Montana

By Mia McPherson|March 14th, 2016|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Merlins, Montana|Tags: birds of prey, Falco columbarius, Falco columbarius richardsonii, falcon, falcons, fence post, lift off, lifting off, Merlin, merlins, perched, preening, ranchlands, summer, valley|

Last September I was able to observe and photograph a Merlin in southwestern Montana over a period of several days.

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Centennial Valley Merlin

By Mia McPherson|September 13th, 2015|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Merlins, Montana|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Falco columbarius, Falco columbarius richardsonii, falcon, falcons, Merlin, perched, prey, ranchlands, raptor, summer, talons, valley|

I don't often have the opportunity to photograph Merlins so I was plenty excited to find one yesterday on the South Valley Road in the Centennial Valley that stuck around for a bit!

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Prairie Merlin

By Mia McPherson|November 1st, 2014|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Merlins, Montana|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Falco columbarius, Falco columbarius richardsoni, Falco columbarius richardsonii, falcon, falcons, female, fence post, fierce, low light, Merlin, merlins, perched, prairie, prey, ranchlands, raptors, summer, valley, wooden post|

I saw a fleeting glimpse of a bird a few days ago that I suspect was a Merlin that migrated to winter here in Utah and it inspired me to post a few Merlin images today.

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Merlin, Prey and Fog

By Mia McPherson|September 28th, 2014|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Merlins, Montana|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Falco columbarius, falcon, falcons, fence post, fog, foggy, Merlin, merlins, perched, prey, ranchlands, raptors, summer, valley, wooden post|

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to photograph a Merlin two mornings in a row in the Centennial Valley of Montana, once in low light and once as a fog rolled in.

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Merlin Magic

By Mia McPherson|September 13th, 2014|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Merlins, Montana|Tags: birds of prey, close up, Falco columbarius, Falco columbarius richardsonii, falcon, falcons, fog, Merlin, merlins, perched, ranchlands, raptors, summer, valley|

Just a short Merlin post today from my Montana trip, a teaser for the images I will soon be posting.

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Merlin Perched In A Tree ~ Friday Photos

By Mia McPherson|January 27th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Merlins, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, branch, branches, Falco columbarius, Falco columbarius richardsonii, falcon, falcons, high key, low light, marsh, Merlin, merlins, perched, pigeon hawks, prairie, raptors, Salt Lake Valley, tree, winter|

Merlins are winter visitors in the Salt Lake Valley so I have just a few more weeks to attempt photographing them. Merlins are used to be called "pigeon hawks" because their shape and flight patterns are similar to pigeons.

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