perched – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

An amazing encounter…or two with a young Bald Eagle

By Mia McPherson|February 17th, 2011|Categories: Bald Eagles, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: Bald Eagle, bird photography, birds of prey, close up, eagle, eagles, fence, fence rail, flight, flying, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, immature, juvenile, juveniles, marsh, mountains, one year old, perched, portrait, raptors, snow, winter, yearling, young|

I've found Bald Eagles difficult to approach most of the time which is why a long lens is often needed. But not this one year old bald eagle.

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Horned Larks

By Mia McPherson|February 14th, 2011|Categories: Birds, Horned Larks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: desert, Eremophila alpestris, female, Great Basin, ground foragers, Horned Lark, lark, larks, male, open country, perched, Shore Lark, singing|

Yesterday was awesome for Horned Larks (Eremophila alpestris) in Tooele County, Utah.

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Bald Eagle and Depth of Field

By Mia McPherson|December 30th, 2010|Categories: Bald Eagles, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Utah|Tags: adult, aperture, background, Bald Eagle, bird photography, birds of prey, bokeh, depth of field, eagle, eagles, f-stop, foreground, grasses, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, ice, leaning, lens, marsh, mountains, perched, raptors, settings, vegetation, wetlands, winter, wooden post|

I believe these two eagle pictures illustrate what changes the depth of field settings can have on the appearance of an image.

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Black-headed Grosbeaks

By Mia McPherson|December 20th, 2010|Categories: Birds, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge|Tags: bird ID, bird photography, birding, birds, Black-headed Grosbeak, nature, nature photography, perched, Pheucticus melanocephalus, wildlife photography|

This male Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) sure caught my eye with its beautiful orange, black and white plumage.

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Lazuli Bunting males

By Mia McPherson|December 15th, 2010|Categories: Birds, Lazuli Buntings, San Rafael Swell area, Utah|Tags: adult, bird ID, bunting, buntings, campgrounds, Emery County, Entrada Sandstone, Greasewood, Lazuli Bunting, male, Navajo sandstone, Passerina amoena, perched, river, Sacrobatus vermiculatus, singing|

Male Lazuli Buntings resemble bluebirds but they are smaller and the blues are a different hue than the Mountain, Eastern and Western Bluebirds.

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Short-eared Owl In A Fog

By Mia McPherson|December 12th, 2010|Categories: Beaverhead County, Birds, Centennial Valley, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Short-eared Owls|Tags: adult, Asio flammeus, bird ID, birds of prey, female, foggy, low light, owl, owls, perched, Short-eared Owl|

I hope to find some Short-eared Owls this winter in Utah, I think that some snow would make for a lovely setting for these delightful & enchanting birds.

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Song Sparrow – Small In Frame

By Mia McPherson|December 9th, 2010|Categories: Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: adult, birds, Davis County, frosty, marsh, Melospiza melodia, passerine, perched, phragmites, phrags, small in frame, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, winter|

What I like about this image is the pose of the Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), the warm tones of the background, the detail and colors

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Short-eared Owl female – 13 minutes of joy

By Mia McPherson|November 12th, 2010|Categories: Beaverhead County, Centennial Valley, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Short-eared Owls|Tags: adult, Asio flammeus, female, fog, foggy, owl, owls, perched, Short-eared Owl, summer, valley, wooden post|

A foggy morning at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge brought me 13 minutes of joy after spotting a shape on the gravel road, it was a female Short-eared Owl and she flew up and landed on a post not too far from the road.

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Four Eyes For Bird Photography

By Mia McPherson|October 4th, 2010|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Davis County, European Starlings, Loggerhead Shrikes, Utah, Wildlife Ethics & Etiquette|Tags: bird photography, Black-billed Magpie, ethics, European Starling, Lanius ludovicianus, Loggerhead Shrike, magpie, magpies, nesting, nesting ethics, nesting material, perched, Pica hudsonia, shrike, shrikes, starling, starlings, Sturnus vulgaris|

One photographer might have better vision and be able to spot birds that the other person may not have seen. Four eyes are better than two.

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Great Blue Herons

By Mia McPherson|September 26th, 2010|Categories: Bird ID, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Great Blue Herons, Pinellas County, Roosevelt Wetlands, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, baiting ethics, bird photography, close up, ethics, flight, flying, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, hunting, immature, juveniles, nest, nesting, perched, portrait, prey, sand dune, snag, snow, stalking, wading birds, wetlands, winter|

Great Blue Herons are North America's largest heron and one of the three largest herons in the world.

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Great Horned Owl Chick – Angles and Backgrounds

By Mia McPherson|September 25th, 2010|Categories: Birds, Glacier County, Great Horned Owls, Montana|Tags: angles, background, backgrounds, birds of prey, bokeh, Bubo virginianus, chick, farmlands, fledgling, grasses, Great Horned Owl, immature, juveniles, ladder, light, old wood, owl, owls, perched, sky, spring, young|

The photographs I have attached to this post are of the same Great Horned Owl fledgling, taken in the same location on the same morning.

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Frost this morning!

By Mia McPherson|September 11th, 2010|Categories: Birds, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: adult, birds, frost, frosty, hoar frost, Melospiza melodia, northern Utah, perched, Song Sparrow, sparrow, winter|

I get very excited about small things at times, a colorful sunrise, the sight of a shooting star, the first spring crocus and in the fall; the first time I see frost.

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Sage Thrashers

By Mia McPherson|August 23rd, 2010|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Sage Thrashers, Utah|Tags: adult, behavior, bird ID, chick, comparison, differences, immature, juveniles, Oreoscoptes montanus, perched, rocks, Sage Thrasher, sunflowers, thrasher, thrashers, young|

Sage Thrashers are from the Mimid family. They forage mainly on the ground for insects, though they do eat berries at times.

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Frost-covered American Barn Owl

By Mia McPherson|January 15th, 2010|Categories: American Barn Owls, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: adult, American Barn Owl, birds of prey, foggy, frost, frosty, hoar frost, marsh, owl, owls, perched, raptors, sign, Tyto furcata, waterfowl sign, wetlands, winter|

This was taken on an early December morning, there was heavy, dismal fog and at times a light snow was falling. The hoar frost was still clinging to the feathers and the facial disc of the Barn Owl.

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