snag – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Dickcissel Images From Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge

By Mia McPherson|May 22nd, 2024|Categories: Birds, Dickcissels, Oklahoma, Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge|Tags: adult, bottomlands, burned, burnt, Dickcissel, Dickcissels, fire, leaves, male, perched, snag, spring, top, tree|

I've been enjoying taking photos of Dickcissels at Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge since I arrived in Oklahoma. Hearing them sing has also been a joy.

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Great Horned Owl Chick In Coastal Florida

By Mia McPherson|March 5th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Florida, Great Horned Owls, Honeymoon Island State Park, Pinellas County|Tags: barrier island, birds of prey, Bubo virginianus, chick, coastal, coastal island, coastal key, dead tree, Great Horned Owl, Gulf Coast, immature, owl, owlet, owls, pine forest, raptors, slash pine forest, snag, tree, winter, young|

This image of a Great Horned Owl chick resting near its nest on the coast Florida in lovely afternoon light brings back wonderful memories for me. It was 2008.

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Red-headed Woodpecker Photos From Sequoyah NWR

By Mia McPherson|July 20th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Oklahoma, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge|Tags: adult, bottomland hardwood forests, bottomlands, branches, Cottonwood, dead, leaves, Melanerpes erythrocephalus, nest, nesting, nesting cavity, nesting cavity tree, Red-headed Woodpecker, sky, snag, spring, tree, trunk, woodpecker, woodpeckers|

These Red-headed Woodpecker photos were taken last month at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge. I had one great day with this species in two spots on the refuge.

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Driftwood Guardian: Rough-legged Hawk

By Mia McPherson|February 6th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Rough-legged Hawks, Utah|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, driftwood, frosty, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, male, perched, ranchlands, raptors, river, Rough-legged Hawk, snag, snow, wetlands, winter|

I stopped to take photos of an adult male Rough-legged Hawk perched on a driftwood snag over the Bear River when I was leaving Bear River MBR four days ago.

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Great Blue Heron With A Cow

By Mia McPherson|September 20th, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, Bear River, cow, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, perched, ranchlands, river, snag, summer, wading birds, wetlands|

This morning I decided to share photos of a Great Blue Heron with a cow behind it that I photographed resting on a snag above the Bear River.

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Four Double-crested Cormorants Resting On The Bank Of The Bear River

By Mia McPherson|March 9th, 2022|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Double-crested Cormorants, Utah|Tags: adult, bank, Bear River, cormorant, cormorants, Double-crested Cormorant, drying, marsh, Nannopterum auritus, river, river bank, snag, stump, sunning, vegetation, warming, water, water birds, wetlands, winter|

After driving the auto tour loop at Bear River MBR two days ago I stopped to photograph four Double-crested Cormorants resting on the bank of the Bear River.

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Two Bald Eagle Images From Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|March 2nd, 2022|Categories: Bald Eagles, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Utah|Tags: adult, Bald Eagle, Bear River, birds of prey, eagle, eagles, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, leaning, marsh, morning light, perched, raptors, river, sky, snag, wetlands, winter, wooden post|

The first bird I photographed on the last day of February was an adult Bald Eagle in the soft morning light who was perched on a leaning wooden post.

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Great Blue Heron Photos Taken on The Winter Solstice

By Mia McPherson|December 22nd, 2021|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Great Blue Herons, Utah|Tags: adult, Ardea herodias, Bear River, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, chest, driftwood, feathers, Great Blue Heron, heron, herons, icy, landing, perched, river, riverbank, snag, snow, Solstice, Utah, wading birds, wetlands, winter|

To my delight I was able to take Great Blue Heron photos yesterday on the Winter Solstice that I found on the banks of the Bear River at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

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Focusing On Yellow-rumped Warblers During Fall Migration

By Mia McPherson|September 25th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Salt Lake County, Utah, Yellow-rumped Warblers|Tags: autumn, fall, Jordan River, migrating, migration, Setophaga coronata, snag, tree, warbler, warblers, wood-warblers, Yellow-rumped Warbler|

Yesterday afternoon I spent thirty-one minutes photographing migrating Yellow-rumped Warblers close to home and those warblers kept me on my toes.

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Immature Bald Eagles Up High In The Wasatch Mountains

By Mia McPherson|February 4th, 2020|Categories: Bald Eagles, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: Bald Eagle, birds of prey, canyon, eagle, eagles, field, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, immature, mountains, perched, raptors, resting, snag, snow, sub-adult, trees, winter|

On the first of February when I found and photographed an unusual and distinctive Bald Eagle with leucism I also photographed two more immature eagles in the same area.

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Second Winter Bald Eagle With Leucism On Its Forehead, Crown And Throat

By Mia McPherson|February 2nd, 2020|Categories: Bald Eagles, Birds, Leucistic, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: Bald Eagle, branch, crown, eagle, eagles, forehead, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, immature, leucism, leucistic, mountains, perched, pigment issues, resting, second winter, snag, snow, sub-adult, throat, tree, Wasatch Mountains, winter, young|

Yesterday morning I spent some time up in the Wasatch Mountains and I am so glad that I did because I found a second winter Bald Eagle with leucism.

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Great Horned Owl Chick on Honeymoon Island State Park

By Mia McPherson|August 28th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Florida, Great Horned Owls, Honeymoon Island State Park, Pinellas County|Tags: birds of prey, Bubo virginianus, chick, fledgling, Great Horned Owl, immature, juvenile, key, nest, owl, owlet, owls, sky, snag, tree, winter, young|

I spent about three months in 2008 watching a Great Horned Owl nest on Honeymoon Island State Park in Florida from hatching until this young owl fledged.

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Red-shouldered Hawk Surveying Fort De Soto’s North Beach

By Mia McPherson|February 5th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Red-shouldered Hawks|Tags: adult, birds of prey, blue sky, Buteo lineatus, Buteos, coast, coastal, Gulf of Mexico, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Florida, north beach, perched, raptors, Red-shouldered Hawk, resting, snag, surveying, tree|

This Red-shouldered Hawk was just a few feet away from a tidal lagoon and just yards away from the Gulf when I photographed it in November of 2008.

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Red-shouldered Hawk In Flight

By Mia McPherson|January 14th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Red-shouldered Hawks|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Buteo lineatus, coast, coastal, flight, flying, habitat, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Florida, lift off, morning, red shoulders, Red-shouldered Hawk, sand dunes, sky, snag, unexpected|

This Red-shouldered Hawk photo was taken in Florida in November of 2008 just after the hawk lifted off from an old snag near a Great Blue Heron I had been photographing.

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Reddish Egrets

By Mia McPherson|November 10th, 2011|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Reddish Egrets|Tags: dark morph, egret, egrets, Egretta rufescens, fish, Gulf of Mexico, Low angle, nature, perched, preening, prey, Reddish Egret, shot from below, snag, tree, water, waves|

While I lived in Florida I took thousands (and thousands) of images of Reddish Egrets and I am very glad that I did because they are rarities in Utah, where I now live.

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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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