rocky – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

My First Of Season Turkey Vulture Images

By Mia McPherson|April 21st, 2023|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Turkey Vultures, Utah|Tags: adult, Cathartes aura, desert, first of season, lichen, lichens, outcropping, raptor, resting, rocks, rocky, spring, Turkey Vulture, vulture, vultures|

I took my first Turkey Vulture images of the season two days ago. That is later than usual for me, but this spring hasn't been normal at all.

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Coyote On A Sunny Spring Morning

By Mia McPherson|March 11th, 2023|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Coyotes, Davis County, Utah|Tags: adult, canids, Canis latrans, Coyote, coyotes, desert island, hillside, lichens, mammals, rocks, rocky, sage, sagebrush, spring, standing|

I came across this image I took of a Coyote standing on rocks on a sunny spring morning yesterday and realized that I miss seeing coyotes as often as I used to.

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Yellow-bellied Marmot That Should Be Hibernating

By Mia McPherson|February 8th, 2021|Categories: Box Elder County, Utah, Wildlife, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: adult, awake, desert, hibernating, hibernation, lichen, mammals, marmot, Marmota flaviventris, marmots, mountains, rocks, rocky, rodents, slope, too early, winter, Yellow-bellied Marmot|

The Yellow-bellied Marmot in these photos should be hibernating until mid-March. I spotted it wide awake yesterday on a rocky slope in northern Utah.

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Cozy Red-tailed Hawks And Finches Galore

By Mia McPherson|November 23rd, 2020|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Box Elder County, Pine Siskins, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: adult, American Goldfinch, autumn, birds of prey, Box Elder County, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteos, Carduelis pinus, desert, fall, female, finch, finches, Fragrant Sumac, freshwater seep, goldfinch, goldfinches, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, leafless, ledge, lichen, male, morning, nonbreeding plumage, perched, Pine Siskin, prched, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk, Rhus aromatica, rocky, seep, side by side, siskin, siskins, sky, Spinus tristis, sumac, Utah|

Yesterday morning the first birds I spotted and photographed was a pair of adult Red-tailed Hawks side by side on a rocky ledge in early morning light.

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Yellow-bellied Marmot High Up On A Cliff

By Mia McPherson|April 9th, 2020|Categories: Box Elder County, Utah, Wildlife, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: adult, cliff, lichen, lichen covered, marmot, Marmota flaviventris, marmots, rocks, rocky, small in frame, Yellow-bellied Marmot|

I have taken thousands of images of Yellow-bellied Marmots where the marmots have been closer but very few of them that include as much habitat as this photo does.

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Great Horned Owl In Desert Habitat

By Mia McPherson|November 28th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Great Horned Owls, Mt. Moriah Wilderness Area, Nevada, White Pine County|Tags: adult, arid, arid habitat, autumn, Bubo virginianus, camouflaged, cliff, desert, desert habitat, fall, Great Horned Owl, outcropping, owl, owls, rocks, rocky, side lit, wildflowers|

I reached back into my archives and found this photo of a side lit Great Horned Owl in desert habitat that I spotted from one of the dirt access roads that lead to the Mt. Moriah Wilderness of eastern Nevada in 2012.

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Windy Day Red-tailed Hawk

By Mia McPherson|May 14th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Buteo jamaicensis, desert, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, lichen, lichen covered, male, perched, raptors, red tail, Red-tailed Hawk, rocky, windy|

I was able to point my lens at this male Red-tailed Hawk on a lichen-covered perch for a few frames before he flew away.

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Red-tailed Hawk on a Rocky Perch in Northern Utah

By Mia McPherson|April 30th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Red-tailed Hawks, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Buteo jamaicensis, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, perch, raptors, red tail, red tail hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, rocky|

There is nothing special about this photo of a Red-tailed Hawk on a rock perch that I photographed yesterday in northern Utah but I quite like it for its simplicity.

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Perched Golden Eagle in Northern Utah

By Mia McPherson|March 5th, 2017|Categories: Box Elder County, Golden Eagles, Utah|Tags: Aquila chrysaetos, birds of prey, desert, eagle, eagles, flight, flying, Golden Eagle, lift off, outcrop, perched, ranchlands, raptors, rocks, rocky, winter|

Two days ago this Golden Eagle was perched on a rocky outcrop but because of a blind spot I didn't see it quite soon enough but at least I was able to get a few decent images of it.

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Yellow-bellied Marmot in a Crevice with Lichen Covered Rocks

By Mia McPherson|March 4th, 2017|Categories: Box Elder County, Utah, Wildlife, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: adult, close up, crevice, hibernation, lichen, lichen covered, mammals, marmot, Marmota flaviventris, marmots, portrait, rocks, rocky, rodents, yellow belly marmot, Yellow-bellied Marmot|

I am very fond of Yellow-bellied Marmots so when I spotted one clambering down some rocks into a crevice close to the road I became excited and as soon as I could I started taking photos of it.

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Adult Box Elder County Yellow-bellied Marmot

By Mia McPherson|March 28th, 2016|Categories: Box Elder County, Utah, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: adult, cliffs, desert, foothills, lichen, lichen covered, marmot, Marmota flaviventris, marmots, outcropping, rocks, rocky, sky, spring, wildlife photography, yellow belly marmot, Yellow-bellied Marmot|

I was able to take images of a Box Elder County Yellow-bellied Marmot further south next to the road near the foothills of the Promontory Mountains.

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