shoveler – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Drake Northern Shoveler And American Coot

By Mia McPherson|March 28th, 2024|Categories: American Coots, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Northern Shovelers, Utah|Tags: adult, American Coot, coot, coots, dabbling ducks, drake, duck, ducks, Fulica americana, male, marsh, Northern Shoveler, shoveler, shovelers, Spatula clypeata, swimming, water, wetlands, winter|

This drake Northern Shoveler swam past me on my last trip up to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I couldn't resist taking photos of him. Why would I want to?

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Remembering Higher Water In The Great Salt Lake

By Mia McPherson|November 29th, 2021|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Conservation, Davis County, Green-winged Teals, Northern Shovelers, Utah|Tags: Anas crecca, breeding plumage, dabbling ducks, drake, duck, ducks, dying lake, eclipse plumage, female, Great Salt Lake, Green-winged Teal, hen, hypersaline lake, inland sea, lake, male, Northern Shoveler, shoveler, shovelers, Spatula clypeata, surf, teal, teals, water, waves|

I came across this photo of a Green-winged Teal with Northern Shovelers in the surf of the Great Salt Lake that I took in December of 2011 yesterday. It was a punch in the gut.

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Drake Northern Shoveler Landing On A Chilly Pond

By Mia McPherson|November 26th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Shovelers, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, breeding plumage, chilly, dabbling ducks, drake, duck, ducks, fall, flight, flying, Glover Pond, landing, male, marsh, Northern Shoveler, pond, shoveler, shovelers, Spatula clypeata, water, waterfowl, wetlands|

This morning I am sharing a simple photo of a drake Northern Shoveler landing on a chilly pond that I took in early December of last year.

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Drake Northern Shoveler In Flight

By Mia McPherson|April 29th, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Northern Shovelers, Utah|Tags: breeding plumage, dabbling duck, dabbling ducks, drake, duck, ducks, flight, flying, male, marsh, Northern Shoveler, shoveler, shovelers, Spatula clypeata, wetlands|

It isn't easy to photograph some birds on the wing so I was thrilled yesterday to photograph a drake Northern Shoveler in flight.

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Northern Shovelers Feeding On Glover Pond

By Mia McPherson|December 21st, 2020|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Shovelers, Utah, Video|Tags: adult, circling, dabbling ducks, duck, ducks, feeding, Glover Pond, Northern Shoveler, pond, shoveler, shovelers, Spatula clypeata, video, water, waterfowl, whirling|

Early in December while at Farmington Bay WMA I was able to photograph and take videos of Northern Shovelers feeding on Glover Pond.

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Northern Shoveler, The Rising Sun And Fog

By Mia McPherson|November 16th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Shovelers, Utah|Tags: adult, dabbling ducks, duck, ducks, fog, Northern Shoveler, rising, rising sun, shoveler, shovelers, Spatula clypeata, steam fog, sun, Wasatch Mountains, water, waterfowl, wetlands, winter|

Three days ago there was a little bit of fog at Farmington Bay WMA while the sun was coming up over the Wasatch Mountains which set up the conditions I needed to take this Northern Shoveler photo.

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Birds On The Wing At Farmington Bay

By Mia McPherson|February 18th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Shovelers, Ring-necked Pheasants, Utah, White-faced Ibises|Tags: dabbling ducks, drakes, ducks, flight, hen, ibis, ibises, marsh, Northern Shoveler, on the wing, Phasianus colchicus, pheasant, pheasants, Plegadis chihi, Ring-necked Pheasant, shoveler, shovelers, Spatula clypeata, upland terestrial bird, White-faced Ibis, winter|

Even though my primary focus was on photographing Bald Eagles I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to take photos of the other birds I saw on the wing at Farmington Bay that morning.

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Northern Shoveler Drake and Hen

By Mia McPherson|October 2nd, 2016|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Shovelers, Utah|Tags: adult, breeding plumage, dabbling ducks, drake, duck, ducks, female, hen, male, marsh, Northern Shoveler, shoveler, skittish, Spatula clypeata, waterfowl, wetlands|

This beautiful Northern Shoveler drake in breeding plumage was photographed in one of those no hunting areas on New Years Day 2015 at Farmington Bay.

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Whirlpool of Feeding Northern Shovelers on the Great Salt Lake

By Mia McPherson|February 2nd, 2016|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Shovelers, Utah|Tags: adult, brine shrimp, close up, comblike, dabbling ducks, duck, ducks, eggs, feeding, feeding behavior, female, flock, Great Salt Lake, hen, lake, lamellae, large bills, marsh, Northern Shoveler, plankton, portrait, raft, rafts, shoveler, shovelers, spatulated, water, waterfowl, wetlands, whirlpool|

It is interesting to see this whirlpool effect of Northern Shovelers on the surface of the Great Salt Lake and to hear the sounds of their bills dabbling in the water.

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Flock of Northern Shovelers feeding on the Great Salt Lake

By Mia McPherson|November 10th, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Northern Shovelers, Utah|Tags: adult, breeding, breeding plumage, comblike, dabbling ducks, drake, duck, ducks, eclipse plumage, elongated bills, feeding, female, flock, hen, hypersaline lake, lamellae, male, nonbreeding, Northern Shoveler, Northern Shovelers, shoveler, shovelers, Spatula clypeata, waterfowl, winter|

Last December on the way off of Antelope Island I saw huge flocks of Northern Shovelers feeding on the Great Salt Lake and liked how they appeared through my viewfinder.

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The Great Salt Lake is D(r)ying and Utah’s Water Crisis

By Mia McPherson|April 26th, 2015|Categories: American White Pelicans, Antelope Island State Park, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-necked Stilts, Box Elder County, Brine Flies, Conservation, Davis County, Eared Grebes, Environment, Franklin's Gulls, Northern Shovelers, Utah, Wilson's Phalaropes|Tags: American White Pelican, bird photography, birds, Black-necked Stilt, brine fly, brine shrimp, climate change, climate crisis, drought, drying, duck, ducks, dying, Eared Grebe, Great Basin hub, Great Salt Lake, grebe, grebes, habitat, hyper saline, hypersaline, migration, Northern Shoveler, Pacific Flyway, pelican, pelicans, phalarope, phalaropes, record low, shoveler, shovelers, water crisis, Wilson's Phalarope|

One thing I know for certain is that we can't drink dust.

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Bird Images From New Years Day

By Mia McPherson|January 2nd, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Northern Shovelers, Utah, White-crowned Sparrows|Tags: bird photography, breeding plumage, drake, duck, ducks, eclipse plumage, immature, juvenile, male, marsh, Northern Shoveler, rabbitbrush, shoveler, shovelers, snow-covered, sparrow, sparrows, Spatula clypeata, waterfowl, White-crowned Sparrow, winter, Zonotrichia leucophrys|

It was chilly but bright yesterday morning and there were bluebird skies overhead and Antelope Island State Park beckoned and I of course heeded that call.

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Northern Shovelers blasting off

By Mia McPherson|February 11th, 2011|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Northern Shovelers, Utah|Tags: adult, Antelope Island Causeway, back lit, bird photography, blast off, blasting off, chaos, dabbling ducks, duck, ducks, flight, flying, Great Salt Lake, hypersaline lake, lake, lift off, Northern Shoveler, shoveler, shovelers, Spatula clypeata, take off, winter|

This morning when we had almost reached Antelope Island I spotted a huge flock of Northern Shovelers blasting off from the water

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