Spatula clypeata – 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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Ducks On The Wing Over The Marsh At Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|March 12th, 2022|Categories: American Wigeons, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Green-winged Teals, Mallards, Northern Pintails, Northern Shovelers, Utah|Tags: adult, American Wigeon, Anas acuta, Anas crecca, Anas platyrhynchos, flight, flying, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Mareca americana, marsh, mountains, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, on the wing, Promontory Mountains, snow, Spatula clypeata, wetlands, winter|

I took this photo of ducks on the wing over the marsh on my most recent trip up to the wetlands of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

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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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Dabbling Duck Shuffle – Plus White Geese Become Gray Geese

By Mia McPherson|July 8th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Cinnamon Teals, Gadwalls, Northern Shovelers, Snow Geese|Tags: American Ornithological Society, American Ornithological Union, Anser caerulescens, AOS, AOU, Cinnamon Teal, Gadwall, lumps, Mareca strepera, Northern Shoveler, scientific name, shuffle, Snow Goose, Spatula clypeata, Spatula cyanoptera, splits|

A few more changes in the Fifty-Eighth Supplement to the AOS Check-list have to do with dabbling ducks and "white geese".

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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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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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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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Prairie Falcon with a Northern Shoveler as prey (Graphic)

By Mia McPherson|November 11th, 2012|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Prairie Falcons, Utah|Tags: adult, autumn, birds of prey, eating, Falco mexicanus, falcon, falcons, fall, Great Salt Lake, hypersaline lake, lake, lake shore, Northern Shoveler, Prairie Falcons, prey, raptors, shore, shoreline, Spatula clypeata|

Earlier this morning I spotted a Prairie Falcon perched on a rock while on the Antelope Island Causeway, before we could get stopped and into position to photograph the falcon it took off over the water and attacked a Northern Shoveler.

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Things are getting Ducky in Utah!

By Mia McPherson|October 1st, 2011|Categories: Birds, Buffleheads, Cinnamon Teals, Common Goldeneyes, Common Mergansers, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Gadwalls, Greater Scaups, Mallards, Northern Pintails, Northern Shovelers, Red-breasted Mergansers, Ring-necked Ducks, Salt Lake Valley|Tags: Anas acuta, Anas platyrhynchos, autumn, Aythya collaris, Aythya marila, Bucephala albeola, Bucephala clangula, Bufflehead, Cinnamon Teal, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Davis County, Gadwall, Greater Scaup, Mallard, Mareca strepera, Mergus merganser, Mergus serrator, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Red-breasted Merganser, Ring-necked Duck, Salt Lake County, Spatula clypeata, Spatula cyanoptera|

Another wonderful change that I have been seeing is that a variety of duck species have been arriving at the Great Salt Lake

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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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