nesting cavity – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Northern Flicker Nesting Cavity

By Mia McPherson|May 5th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Clark County, Idaho, Northern Flickers, Targhee National Forest|Tags: adult, aspen, Colaptes auratus, flicker, flickers, forest, male, mountains, nest, nesting, nesting cavity, nesting tree, Northern Flicker, tree, woodpecker, woodpeckers|

I photographed my favorite nesting tree in the Targhee National Forest and this Northern Flicker nesting cavity.

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Mountain Bluebird Plumage Development Stages

By Mia McPherson|March 24th, 2016|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Clark County, Idaho, Montana, Mountain Bluebirds, Targhee National Forest, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: adult, aspen, bluebird, bluebirds, female, fence, fledged, forest, high desert habitat, immature, juvenal plumage, juvenile, juveniles, male, molting, Mountain Bluebird, nesting cavity, perched, plumage development, plumage development stages, plumage phases, plumage stages, Sialia currucoides, thrush, thrushes, wire fence, young|

These images from different times of the year show Mountain Bluebird plumage development stages from not long after fledging to adulthood.

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Red-breasted Nuthatch at an Idaho Nesting Site

By Mia McPherson|February 22nd, 2016|Categories: Birds, Clark County, Idaho, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Targhee National Forest|Tags: adult, calling, cavity nesting birds, forest, male, mountain, nesting cavity, nesting tree, nuthatch, nuthatches, perched, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Sitta canadensis, spring|

Seeing and photographing this Red-breasted Nuthatch was such a thrill for me that I want a repeat performance!

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The Demise of the Magical Sapsucker Tree and the Luck of Finding More Nesting Cavity Trees

By Mia McPherson|June 14th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Clark County, House Wrens, Idaho, Red-naped Sapsuckers, Targhee National Forest|Tags: aspen, branch, campsite, cavities, cavity, cavity nesters, forest, House Wren, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Montana, mountains, nest, nesting cavity, nesting tree, nests, Populus tremuloides, Quaking Aspen, Red-naped Sapsucker, safe haven, sapsucker, sapsuckers, Sphyrapicus nuchalis, tree, Troglodytes aedon, woodpecker, wren, wrens|

I am heart-broken about losing the Magical Sapsucker Tree but I am glad to have found a few more where the chicks are thriving and are safe so far.

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Red-breasted Nuthatch in the Targhee National Forest, Idaho

By Mia McPherson|May 8th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Clark County, Idaho, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Targhee National Forest|Tags: adult, branch, cavity nesters, montane forest, nesting cavity, nuthatch, nuthatches, perched, Red-breasted Nuthatch, resin, Sitta canadensis|

I'm posting just a simple Red-breasted Nuthatch image today that I photographed earlier this week in the Targhee National Forest in eastern Idaho.

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Northern Flicker Letting The Chips Fall Where They May

By Mia McPherson|May 5th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Clark County, Idaho, Northern Flickers, Targhee National Forest|Tags: adult, aspen, bird photography, chips, Colaptes auratus, excavating, excavation, flicker, flickers, forest, male, nest, nesting behavior, nesting cavity, nesting tree, Northern Flicker, Populus tremuloides, Quaking Aspen, tree, woodpecker, woodpeckers|

I could hear the Northern Flicker excavating inside the nesting cavity and when he would stop he would appear with a bill full of shavings and forcefully eject them from the cavity.

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Black and Blue All Over With Just a Splash of Red

By Mia McPherson|May 4th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Clark County, Idaho, Mountain Bluebirds, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Targhee National Forest|Tags: adult, aspen, bluebird, bluebirds, forest, Mountain Bluebird, nesting cavity, nesting tree, nuthatch, nuthatches, Populus tremuloides, Quaking Aspen, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Sialia currucoides, Sitta canadensis, spring|

Well, it was another fun morning at the Magical Sapsucker Tree and today the cast was joined by a pair of Mountain Bluebirds who seem dead set on taking over the Northern Flicker cavity.

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At the Magical Sapsucker Tree Once Again

By Mia McPherson|May 3rd, 2015|Categories: Birds, Clark County, Idaho, Mountain Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Targhee National Forest, Williamson's Sapsuckers|Tags: adult, aspen, branch, cavity nesting birds, chattering, chickadee, chickadees, forest, Montana, Mountain Chickadee, mountains, nest, nesting cavity, nuthatch, nuthatches, pair, Poecile gambeli, Red-breasted Nuthatch, sapsucker, sapsuckers, Sitta canadensis, Sphyrapicus thyroideus, tree, trees, Williamson's Sapsucker, woodpecker, woodpeckers|

Yesterday may have started off dreary but it sure got lively with a Willamson's Sapsucker, Mountain Chickadee and a pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches at the Magical Sapsucker Tree!

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I’m a real sucker for birds

By Mia McPherson|January 26th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Clark County, Idaho, Targhee National Forest, Williamson's Sapsuckers|Tags: adult, aspen, breeding season, forest, male, nesting cavity, nesting tree, sapsucker, sapsuckers, Sphyrapicus thyroideus, Williamson's Sapsucker, woodpecker, woodpeckers|

I will photograph birds big and small, those that are flashy and those that are dull. From rare to common it doesn't matter to me.

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Red-naped Sapsuckers of Clark County, Idaho

By Mia McPherson|July 6th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Clark County, Idaho, Red-naped Sapsuckers, Targhee National Forest|Tags: adult, aspen, begging, cavity, chicks, feeding, female, forest, male, Montana, nesting, nesting cavity, Red-naped Sapsucker, sapsucker, sapsuckers, Sphyrapicus nuchalis, woodpecker, woodpeckers, young|

It was a Sapsuckery trip to Montana and Idaho last week, with Red-naped and Williamson's Sapsuckers at their nesting cavities

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The Magical Sapsucker Tree in Clark County, Idaho

By Mia McPherson|July 4th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Clark County, House Wrens, Idaho, Red-naped Sapsuckers, Targhee National Forest, Tree Swallows, Williamson's Sapsuckers|Tags: adult, aspen, branches, cavity, chattering, fecal sacs, female, food, forest, House Wren, male, nest, nesting, nesting cavity, nesting tree, nestlings, pair, Populus tremuloides, prey, Quaking Aspen, Red-naped Sapsucker, sapsucker, sapsuckers, secondary cavity nesters, Sphyrapicus, Sphyrapicus nuchalis, Sphyrapicus thyroideus, swallow, Tachycineta bicolor, tree, Tree Swallow, Troglodytes aedon, Williamson's Sapsucker, wooded, woodpecker, woodpeckers, wren, wrens|

A month ago I photographed a pair of Williamson's Sapsuckers excavating a nesting cavity in Idaho and this past week I spent several days photographing them again.

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House Wrens – Nesting Behavior

By Mia McPherson|June 4th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Clark County, House Wrens, Idaho, Targhee National Forest|Tags: adult, aspen, branch, break, cavity nesters, chattering, head, House Wren, nesting, nesting behavior, nesting cavity, nesting material, nesting tree, perched, poking, Populus tremuloides, Quaking Aspen, secondary cavity nesters, singing, stump, Troglodytes aedon, wren, wrens|

For a few days now I said I was going to do a post about the House Wrens I photographed at the same nesting tree as the Williamson's Sapsuckers, here it is.

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Wonderful Lifers – Williamson’s Sapsuckers at their nesting tree

By Mia McPherson|June 1st, 2014|Categories: Birds, Clark County, Idaho, Williamson's Sapsuckers|Tags: adult, ants, aspen, blind, coniferous forests, excavation, female, forest, lifer, male, Montana, mountains, nest, nesting cavity, nesting tree, photographing, sap wells, sapsucker, sapsuckers, secretive species, sexual differences, Sphyrapicus thyroideus, squeal call, tree, Williamson's Sapsucker, woodland birds, woodpecker, woodpeckers|

I could barely contain myself because in my viewfinder was a gorgeous red, yellow and black colored male Williamson's Sapsucker.

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Male Northern Flicker in its nesting cavity

By Mia McPherson|June 20th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Madison County, Montana, Northern Flickers|Tags: adult, aspen, Colaptes auratus, flicker, flickers, forest, male, nest, nesting behavior, nesting cavity, nesting tree, Northern Flicker, Populus tremuloides, Quaking Aspen, Red-shafted, tree, wildlife, woodpecker, woodpeckers|

I was photographing some Pine Siskins along a road in Madison County, Montana when this male Red-shafted Northern Flicker stuck his head out of his nesting cavity in an aspen and surprised me.

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