skimmer – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Blue Dasher Dragonfly Photo And Video

By Mia McPherson|July 8th, 2024|Categories: Blue Dasher Dragonflies, Oklahoma, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge|Tags: adult, Blue Dasher, Blue Dasher dragonfly, bottomland hardwood forests, bottomlands, dasher, dashers, dragonflies, dragonfly, male, mite, odonata, Pachydiplax longipennis, perched, skimmer, skimmers, summer|

I'm a bird photographer who sometimes can't resist photographing other things with wings which includes this male Blue Dasher dragonfly I saw yesterday morning.

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Slaty Skimmer Dragonfly Photos

By Mia McPherson|July 2nd, 2024|Categories: American Lotus, Oklahoma, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Slaty Skimmer Dragonflies|Tags: adult, American Lotus, bottomland hardwood forests, bottomlands, bud, dragonflies, dragonfly, female, flower bud, insects, leaf, leaves, Libellula incesta, lotus, lotuses, male, native, Nelumbo lutea, odonata, Reeves Slough, seedpod, seedpods, skimmer, skimmers, Slaty Skimmer, Slaty Skimmer Dragonfly, slough, summer, water, white wildflowers, wildflowers, yellow wildflowers|

I took photos of Slaty Skimmer dragonflies the other day at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma and wanted to share them with you all.

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Female Eight-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly

By Mia McPherson|July 20th, 2022|Categories: Davis County, Eight-spotted Skimmers, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, cattails, dragonflies, dragonfly, Eight-spotted Skimmer, Eight-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly, female, Glover Pond, Libellula forensis, male, marsh, mountains, odonata, perched, pond, resting, riparian habitat, skimmer, skimmers, summer, wetlands|

Earlier this week my last subject of the morning was a female Eight-spotted Skimmer dragonfly that landed in front of me next to a creek in the mountains.

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Black Skimmer Photo From 13 Years Ago

By Mia McPherson|April 24th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, Black Skimmer, coast, coastal, flight, flying, Gulf of Mexico, Rynchops niger, skimmer, skimmers, sky, spring|

It was thirteen years ago today when I took this photo of an adult Black Skimmer flying over the Gulf of Mexico in Pinellas County, Florida.

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Brown Pelicans And Memories

By Mia McPherson|January 6th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Brown Pelicans, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, birds, Brown Pelican, clouds, feeding, flight, flock, flying, foraging, Gulf of Mexico, Laughing Gull, Pelecanus occidentalis, pelican, pelicans, skimmer, skimmers, sky, splashing, tern, terns, water, winter|

Eleven years ago this morning I had an amazing time photographing flocks of Brown Pelicans plunge feeding in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Twelve-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly – Other Things With Wings

By Mia McPherson|July 17th, 2020|Categories: Box Elder County, Davis County, Eight-spotted Skimmers, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Twelve-spotted Skimmer Dragonflies, Utah|Tags: adult, desert, dragonflies, dragonfly, Eight-spotted Skimmer, Eight-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly, Great Basin, Libellula forensis, Libellula pulchella, odonata, perched, resting, seep, skimmer, skimmers, Twelve-Spotted Skimmer, Twelve-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly|

Five days ago I photographed a lifer dragonfly when I found a male Twelve-spotted Skimmer that was hanging around a spring-fed seep next to a gravel road in Box Elder County.

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Male Flame Skimmer Dragonfly – Libellula saturata

By Mia McPherson|July 20th, 2018|Categories: Box Elder County, Dragonflies, Flame Skimmers, Utah|Tags: desert, dragonflies, dragonfly, Flame Skimmer, Fragrant Sumac, Libellula saturata, male, odonata, orange, red, Rhus aromatica, seep, skimmer, skimmers, summer|

I caught a flash of orange that drew my eye and watched as this male Flame Skimmer (Libellula saturata) dragonfly landed on a branch not far from where I had parked my Jeep.

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Head On Eight-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly – Other Things With Wings

By Mia McPherson|July 15th, 2018|Categories: Davis County, Eight-spotted Skimmers, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: dragonflies, dragonfly, Eight-spotted Skimmer, head on, Libellula forensis, odonata, skimmer, skimmers, summer, wetlands|

Two days ago at Glover Pond there were several Eight-spotted Skimmer dragonflies that I aimed my lens at and of those I liked this head on shot the most.

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Gulf Shore Black Skimmer Skimming

By Mia McPherson|June 21st, 2017|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, Black Skimmer, coast, coastal, foraging, Gulf, Gulf of Mexico, Rynchops niger, seabirds, shore, skimmer, skimmers, skimming, summer, waves|

Black Skimmers forage by skimming their bills in the waves just off shore and snap up fish when their sensitive bills locate them.

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Black Skimmer in a Fog over the Gulf of Mexico

By Mia McPherson|December 24th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, beach, Black Skimmer, coast, coastal, flight, foggy, Gulf, Gulf of Mexico, Rynchops niger, sea fog, seabirds, shore, skimmer, skimmers, summer, water, waves|

Whenever I view this photo of a lone Black Skimmer in flight on a foggy Gulf shore I feel a wave of joy and peaceful feelings wash over me.

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Courting Black Skimmers on North Beach, Fort De Soto

By Mia McPherson|November 29th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: beach, Black Skimmer, coast, coastal, courting, courtship, female, male, mating display, Pre-copulatory display, Rynchops niger, sand, skimmer, skimmers, sky, spring|

On a hazy, windy day in May of 2008 I was able to sand crawl on my belly close enough to some Black Skimmers to watch and photograph them courting.

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Male Eight-spotted Skimmers at Farmington Bay

By Mia McPherson|August 13th, 2016|Categories: Davis County, Eight-spotted Skimmers, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Utah|Tags: adult, dragonflies, dragonfly, Eight-spotted Skimmer, Libellula forensis, male, marsh, odonata, pond, skimmer, skimmers, summer, wetlands|

A few days ago I discovered several male Eight-spotted Skimmers close to the edge of Glover Pond at Farmington Bay and was delighted to photograph these beautifully patterned Odonata.

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Scoop Of Black Skimmers Flying Past Shell Key

By Mia McPherson|October 26th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, Black Skimmer, coast, coastal, conspiracy, embezzlement, fall, flight, flock, flying, Gulf of Mexico, mangroves, scoop, sea birds, seabirds, Shell Key, skimmer, skimmers, skimming, summer, water|

I haven't seen Black Skimmers in over six years now but in my mind I can still hear them calling when I look at my images of a group of them in flight.

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A morning spent at Fort De Soto six years ago today

By Mia McPherson|September 4th, 2014|Categories: American Oystercatchers, Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Piping Plovers, Sandwich Terns, Semipalmated Plovers, Wood Storks|Tags: American Oystercatcher, beach, bird photography, Black Skimmer, Charadrius melodus, Charadrius semipalmatus, Gulf of Mexico, Haematopus palliatus, juvenile, Mycetaria americana, oystercatcher, oystercatchers, Passerculus sandwichensis, Piping Plover, plover, plovers, Rynchops niger, Sandwich Tern, Semipalmated Plover, shore, skimmer, skimmers, stork, storks, tern, terns, water, waves, Wood Stork|

Six years ago this morning I was photographing birds at Fort De Soto County Park and I wanted to share a few images and memories of that day.

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Black Skimmers at Fort De Soto Five Years Ago Today

By Mia McPherson|April 26th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, aerial chase, Black Skimmer, coast, coastal, flight, flight flying, flock, flying, Gulf of Mexico, Rynchops niger, skimmer, skimmers, sky, spring, territorial display|

It is really cruddy here in Utah this morning so I thought I would go back in time to a warmer, sunnier day via the magic of some Black Skimmer images I created five years ago today.

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Black Skimmers in flight

By Mia McPherson|November 22nd, 2013|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, Black Skimmer, coast, coastal, flight, flying, Gulf of Mexico, Pinellas County, Rynchops niger, skimmer, skimmers, sky|

I photographed these Black Skimmers in flight at the north beach of Fort De Soto County Park in Florida one cool January morning.

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Bird Images From Warmer And Sunnier Days

By Mia McPherson|January 31st, 2013|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Brown Pelicans, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Snowy Egrets, White Ibises|Tags: bird photography, Black Skimmer, Brown Pelican, calling, clouds, direct eye contact, egret, egrets, Egretta thula, Eudocimus albus, feeding, flight, ibis, ibises, Pelecanus occidentalis, pelican, pelicans, Rynchops niger, scratching, skimmer, skimmers, sky, Snowy Egret, wading birds, White Ibis|

I love winter, I love seeing snow on the mountains and feeling the crispness in the air but I am getting tired of gray cloudy days and heavy fog so I thought I would post a few bird images from warmer and sunnier days that I took while I lived in Florida.

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4 Years ago today when Hurricane Ike stirred things up at Fort De Soto

By Mia McPherson|September 12th, 2012|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Laughing Gulls, Pinellas County, Reddish Egrets, Ring-billed Gulls, Willets|Tags: bird photography, Black Skimmer, Egmont Key, egret, egrets, Egretta rufescens, Gulf of Mexico, gull, gulls, Hurricane Ike, Larus delawarensis, Laughing Gull, Leucophaeus atricilla, Reddish Egret, Ring-billed Gull, Rynchops niger, skimmer, Tringa semipalmata, wading birds, waves, Willet|

Four years ago today Hurricane Ike was out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico and the waves that it generated made a strong splash at Fort De Soto County Park.

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Black Skimmer adult in flight

By Mia McPherson|October 12th, 2011|Categories: Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, Black Skimmer, breeding plumage, coast, coastal, flight, flying, Gulf of Mexico, Rynchops niger, skimmer, skimmers, sky|

I could always tell when a flock of Black Skimmers were flying in to Fort De Soto's north beach when I was photographing there because I could usually hear their soft, nasal barking yips or yeps before I saw them.

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Black Skimmers – Down and dirty

By Mia McPherson|July 31st, 2011|Categories: Bird ID, Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, beach, Black Skimmer, fledgling, immature, juvenile, low angles, patience, Rynchops niger, sand, skimmer, skimmers, sky|

My friends say when my images have such a low angle that I must have been "Down 'n dirty". Well I know for sure I was dirty, I had sand everywhere!

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