ospreys – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Eyes On The Sky – Osprey Migration Is Underway

By Mia McPherson|March 15th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Ospreys, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Box Elder County, desert, Fish Hawk, flight, flying, migration, Osprey, ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, park, perched, pole, pond, ranchlands, raptor, raptors, Salt Lake County, sky, spring, urban, Utah, water|

It is time for me to keep my eyes on the sky because Osprey migration is underway. Online, in the past week, I've seen them being reported in Montana and Idaho.

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Peek-a-boo Osprey In Flight Over My Local Pond

By Mia McPherson|May 22nd, 2023|Categories: Birds, Ospreys, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Fish Hawk, flight, flying, hawk, hawks, Osprey, ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, park, peek-a-boo, pond, raptors, river hawk, Sea Hawk, sky, spring, urban|

At the end of April I spent the morning photographing birds at my local pond. This peek-a-boo Osprey was one of my favorites images from that day.

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Spring Caspian Tern Photos Plus A Bonus Osprey Image

By Mia McPherson|May 4th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Caspian Terns, Ospreys, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, aerial chase, breeding plumage, Caspian Tern, chasing, dive, eye level, flight, flying, Hydroprogne caspia, Osprey, ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, park, pond, raptors, sky, spring, tern, terns, urban|

At the end of last month, I had the pleasure of taking Caspian Tern photos as these terns were flying and fishing at my local pond.

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Osprey Lifting Off After Missing Prey

By Mia McPherson|April 29th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Ospreys, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, dive, flight, flying, lift off, lifting off, Osprey, ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, park, pond, raptors, spring, take off, taking off, unsuccessful, urban, water|

I had great fun photographing this Osprey lifting off from an unsuccessful dive for prey two days ago. It was definitely a challenge and I will explain why.

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First of Year Osprey Plus A Spring Snowstorm

By Mia McPherson|March 27th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Ospreys, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, first of year, Fish Hawk, male, Osprey, ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, perched, pole, raptor, sky, snowstorm, spring, urban, urban birds, Utah|

I had something wonderful happen yesterday following a spring snowstorm in Salt Lake City. I found my first of year Osprey close to home perched on a pole.

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Utah’s Ospreys Are Back For Their Nesting Season

By Mia McPherson|April 1st, 2021|Categories: Birds, Daggett County, Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Florida, Honeymoon Island State Park, Ospreys, Pinellas County, Utah|Tags: adult, branch, female, Fish Hawk, Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Florida, male, nest, nesting platform, nesting season, Osprey, ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, perched, raptor, Sea Hawk, watchful|

I was hoping to find my first of the year Swainson's Hawks yesterday but instead I spotted my first of year Ospreys.

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Surprise Immature Osprey In The West Desert Of Utah

By Mia McPherson|October 1st, 2020|Categories: Birds, Ospreys, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: desert, fence post, Fish Hawk, foothills, harvest moon, hatch year, hatch year bird, hawks, immature, moon, mountains, Osprey, ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, perched, raptors, sunrise, wooden post, young|

I don't know how many times I have said "expect the unexpected" since I began photographing birds while talking to fellow photographers.

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Juvenile Osprey with a Tiger Trout in the Wasatch Mountains

By Mia McPherson|September 10th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Little Dutch Hollow, Morgan County, Ospreys, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: balance, Brown Trout x Brook Trout, canyon, female, Fish Hawk, flapping, full crop, immature, juvenile, mountains, Osprey, ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, prey, Salmo trutta × Salvelinus fontinalis, sterile hybrid, Tiger Trout, wings, young|

Yesterday the "unexpected" bird was a juvenile Osprey in the Wasatch Mountains. I'd say it was unexpected because I'd been photographing songbirds and wasn't expecting to see North America's "Fish Hawk" in the same area.

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Ospreys of Honeymoon Island State Park

By Mia McPherson|April 6th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Honeymoon Island State Park, Ospreys, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, birds of prey, bokeh, breeding season, depth of field, female, Fish Hawk, flight, flying, male, mated pair, nest, Osprey, Osprey Trail, ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, perched, raptors, sexual differences|

Honeymoon Island State Park in Pinellas County, Florida is a great place to see and photograph nesting Ospreys, not just one or two nests either, there are often quite a few.

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An Osprey and a Whiting over Fort De Soto

By Mia McPherson|October 20th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Ospreys, Pinellas County|Tags: clouds, coastal habitat, coastal island, fish, Fish Hawk, flight, flying, Osprey, ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, prey, raptor, raptors, sky, spring, Whiting|

This Osprey image was taken in April of 2009 at Fort De Soto's north beach. I had been photographing smaller birds that were close to me when I noticed the Osprey flying in with a whiting.

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Something’s Fishy – Osprey with a Flounder

By Mia McPherson|June 10th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Ospreys|Tags: adult, coastal, fish, Fish Hawk, flatfish, flight, Flounder, flying, Gulf, Gulf of Mexico, Osprey, ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, sky, winter|

A simple but fishy post today of an Osprey that flew over my head at Fort De Soto County Park taken 5 years ago in Florida.

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An Osprey with its feet entangled by filamentous algae

By Mia McPherson|May 31st, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Lettuce Lake Regional Park, Ospreys|Tags: adult, Filamentous algae, flight, flying, hardwood forest swamp, Hillsborough County, lake, nature photography, Osprey, ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, sky, wildlife photography|

I photographed this Osprey at Lettuce Lake Regional Park from the observation tower, the Osprey had tried to catch a fish but came up with just the filamentous algae in its talons.

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An Osprey just Floundering around

By Mia McPherson|November 30th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Ospreys|Tags: bird photography, birds, flight, Flounder, flying, Osprey, ospreys, overhead, Pandion haliaetus, prey, sky|

Some of my images make me laugh and this Osprey image with a Flounder that weighs almost as much as the bird does make me laugh.

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Ospreys of Flaming Gorge

By Mia McPherson|May 18th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Hawks, Eagles, Ospreys and Vultures, Ospreys, Utah|Tags: adult, female, Fish Hawks, flight, flying, golden light, gorge, landing, low light, male, nature, nesting season, Osprey, ospreys, perched, reservoir, Sea Hawks, water|

Last year at about this same time these Ospreys were busy building their nest while this year they were already sitting on eggs at Flaming Gorge.

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