spring – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Vesper Sparrow Outside My Window

By Mia McPherson|April 6th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Summit County, Utah, Vesper Sparrows, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, desert, mountains, Poocetes gramineus, ranchlands, singing, sparrow, sparrows, spring, Vesper Sparrow, wooden post|

I was quite surprised to find a Vesper Sparrow outside my window yesterday after the prolonged spring snowstorm finally left the Salt Lake Valley and Utah.

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Killdeer In A Spring Snowstorm

By Mia McPherson|April 5th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Killdeer, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: Charadrius vociferus, close up, cloudy, Killdeer, killdeers, low light, parking lot, parking lot stripe, parking space stripe, plover, plovers, portrait, puddle, shorebirds, snow, snowstorm, spring, standing, urban, walking, water|

Yesterday morning, after blowing, shoveling, and scraping about nine to ten inches of snow, I went looking for birds and found a Killdeer in a spring snowstorm.

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Spring Wild Turkey Photos With Snow

By Mia McPherson|April 4th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Salt Lake County, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wild Turkeys|Tags: adult, branches, desert, displaying, female, hen, high key, male, Meleagris gallopavo, mountans, road, sky island mountains, snow, snowstorm, snowy, spring, tom, tree, turkey, turkeys, upland terrestrial birds, urban, Wild Turkey|

Three years ago by this date I was already taking Wild Turkey photos in the canyons of the sky island mountains of the West Desert of Utah.

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Rock Squirrel Tree Topper

By Mia McPherson|April 2nd, 2023|Categories: Rock Squirrels, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, foothills, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, mountains, Otospermophilus variegatus, Rock Squirrel, sky, sky island mountains, spring, squirrel, squirrels, top, Utah Juniper|

Almost three years ago, I photographed this Rock Squirrel perched in top of a juniper in the foothills of some sky island mountains in the West Desert of Utah.

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Turkey Vulture With An Open Bill

By Mia McPherson|April 1st, 2023|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Turkey Vultures, Utah|Tags: adult, Cathartes aura, desert, open bill, perched, post, ranchlands, spring, Turkey Vulture, vulture, vultures, wooden post|

I took this photo of a Turkey Vulture with its bill wide open exactly a year ago today on a warm spring morning in far northern Utah under the bright sun.

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Snow Weary And Needing A Bird Fix

By Mia McPherson|March 31st, 2023|Categories: American Avocets, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Marsh Wrens, Red-winged Blackbirds, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: adult, Agelaius phoeniceus, American Avocet, American Avocets, avocet, avocets, Black-crowned Night Heron, blackbird, blackbirds, breeding plumage, Cistothorus palustris, early morning, flight, flying, heron, herons, Icterids, male, marsh, Marsh Wren, mountains, night heron, night herons, Nycticorax nycticorax, perched, phragmites, phrags, preening, Recurvirostra americana, Red-winged Blackbird, resting, river, shorebirds, singing, sky, spring, wading birds, water, wetlands, wren, wrens, Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, Yellow-headed Blackbird|

More fresh snow on the ground this morning. I am snow weary. What I need is a bird, nature, gone exploring in the wild fix with no real or clear return time.

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Ticked Off Canada Goose Gander

By Mia McPherson|March 28th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Canada Geese, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: Canada Goose, gander, geese, goose, grass, grasses, male, park, snow, spring, ticked off, urban, waterfowl|

Two days ago, after a spring snowstorm, I treated myself to a few minutes of local bird photography, which included this ticked-off Canada Goose gander.

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First of Year Osprey Plus A Spring Snowstorm

By Mia McPherson|March 27th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Ospreys, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, first of year, Fish Hawk, male, Osprey, ospreys, Pandion haliaetus, perched, pole, raptor, sky, snowstorm, spring, urban, urban birds, Utah|

I had something wonderful happen yesterday following a spring snowstorm in Salt Lake City. I found my first of year Osprey close to home perched on a pole.

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World Water Day 2023

By Mia McPherson|March 22nd, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Centennial Valley, Conservation, Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, Glacier County, Glacier National Park, Juab County, Montana, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Sawgrass Lake Park, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, American Coots, aspens, Box Elder County, canyon, Centennial Mountains, Centennial Valley, clouds, conifers, coots, creek, Cygnus columbianus, Fish Springs Range, flight, flock, Florida, flying, footbridge, foothills, grass, grasses, hills, ice, immature, Juab County, maple swamp, marsh, mountains, Pinellas County, pond, Promontory Mountains, rapids, reflections, river, rocks, rushing, sage, sagebrush, Sawgrass Lake Park, shadows, shrubs, sky, snow, snow-topped, spring, summer, swamp, swan, swans, trail, trees, Tundra Swan, Utah, valley, water, waterfowl, west desert, wetlands, Wigeon Pond, willows, winter, young|

Today is World Water Day. The theme for World Water Day 2023 is: Accelerate Change. Every human being on this planet is roughly 60% water.

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Mating Greater Sage-Grouse On A Wild Windswept Lek

By Mia McPherson|March 16th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Greater Sage-Grouse, Utah, Wayne County|Tags: adult, Aquarius Plateau, Centrocercus urophasianus, courtship display, female, Greater Sage-Grouse, grouse, lek, male, morning light, plateau, sage-grouse, sagebrush sea, spring, upland terrestrial birds, Utah, Wayne County|

During the breeding season, male Greater Sage-Grouse gather in communal display areas known as leks to perform an elaborate courtship ritual.

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Double-crested Cormorant on the Bear River

By Mia McPherson|March 14th, 2023|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Double-crested Cormorants, Utah|Tags: adult, Bear River, cormorant, cormorants, Double-crested Cormorant, Nannopterum auritus, reflection, river, spring, swimming, water, waterbirds, wetlands|

I photographed this adult Double-crested Cormorant at the end of March last spring as it swam by me on the Bear River. The color of its eyes was so striking.

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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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Vesper Sparrow At Dawn

By Mia McPherson|March 7th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Utah, Vesper Sparrows, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, dawn, fence post, light, mountains, Poocetes gramineus, sparrow, sparrows, spring, Vesper Sparrow, wooden post|

As this winter drags on, I find myself yearning for the sounds of spring. In particular, I can barely wait to hear the soft morning song of a Vesper Sparrow.

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Just Weeks Away From Taking Uinta Ground Squirrel Photos

By Mia McPherson|February 27th, 2023|Categories: Summit County, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, grass, grasses, ground squirrel, ground squirrels, mountains, spring, squirrel, squirrels, Summit County, Uinta Ground Squirrel, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|

In just about five weeks I should be able to take my first of year Uinta Ground Squirrel photos up in the sage-covered, grassy parts of the Wasatch Mountains.

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Coming Soon: Great-tailed Grackle Breeding Season

By Mia McPherson|February 21st, 2023|Categories: Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, bath, blackbirds, breeding display, close up, display, displaying, duo, feather, female, grackle, grackles, Great-tailed Grackle, Head-Up, intensely, looking, male, park, portrait, preening-tail, Quiscalus mexicanus, Ruff-Out, solo, spring, urban, winter|

On two of my most recent walks I have seen Great-tailed Grackles. Seeing them reminded me that Great-tailed Grackle breeding season is coming soon.

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Squirrel Appreciation Day 2023

By Mia McPherson|January 21st, 2023|Categories: Summit County, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, closed, dozing, eyes, ground squirrel, ground squirrels, mountains, spring, squirrel, Squirrel Appreciation Day, squirrels, Uinta Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus armatus|

Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day around the globe. Love them, or hate them, there is no denying that they are fun, fascinating, beguiling, fuzzy creatures!

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My 2022 Year In Review

By Mia McPherson|December 31st, 2022|Categories: American Kestrels, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Box Elder County, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Golden Eagles, Great Horned Owls, Horned Grebes, Morgan County, Ring-billed Gulls, Rock Wrens, Ruffed Grouse, Tundra Swans, Utah, Warbling Vireos, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: adult, Amelanchier utahensis, American Kestrel, Aquila chrysaetos, autumn, background, berries, Bewick's Swan, bill, birds of prey, Black-billed Magpie, blooming, blooms, blossoms, Bonasa umbellus, boulder, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Bubo virginianus, building, canyon, close up, corvids, Cygnus columbianus, Cygnus columbianus bewickii, Davis County, desert, dirt, eagle, eagles, Falco sparverius, falcon, falcons, fall, farmlands, female, fledgling, flight, flock, flowering, flowering shrub, flying, forest edge, fruiting shrub, fruits, fruting shrubs, Golden Eagle, gorget, Great Horned Owl, grebe, grebes, grouse, gull, gulls, Horned Grebe, hummingbird, hummingbirds, immature, juvenile, kestrel, kestrels, Larus delawarensis, lichen, lores, magpie, magpies, male, marsh, mountains, nest, nest box, nesting, nonbreeding plumage, owl, owls, perched, Pica hudsonia, Podiceps auritus, raptors, rare, reflection, Ring-billed Gull, riparian habitat, road, roadside, rock, Rock Wren, rocks, Ruffed Grouse, Salpinctes obsoletus, Selasphorus platycercus, serviceberries, serviceberry, Setophaga petechia, shrub, spring, stink-eye, summer, swan, swans, thicket, tree, Tundra Swans, Utah, Utah Serviceberry, vagrant, warbler, warblers, water, waterbirds, waterfowl, wetlands, willow, willow thicket, willows, winter, winter plumage, wood-warbler, wood-warblers, wren, wrens, Yellow Warbler, young|

On this last day of the year it is time for my annual 2022 Year in Review post. In some ways 2022 has been great for me and in others not so good.

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Some Mammals I Loved In 2022

By Mia McPherson|December 28th, 2022|Categories: American Badgers, Davis County, Elk, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Least Chipmunks, Long-tailed Weasels, Morgan County, Mule Deer, Summit County, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: adult, American Badger, autumn, baby, badger, badger burrow, badgers, canyon, Cervus canadensis, chipmunk, chipmunks, close up, cow, curious, cute, Elk, elks, fall, female, fence post, grazing, ground squirrel, ground squirrels, high Uintas, hillside, kissing, Least Chipmunk, Long-tailed Weasel, mammals, marmot, Marmota flaviventris, marmots, marsh, mountains, Mustela frenata, mustelids, Neotamias minimus, portrait, profile, roadside, rock, rock pile, rocks, rocky slope, shadow, spring, squirrel, squirrels, summer, summer coat, Taxidea taxus, Uinta Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus armatus, weasel, weasels, wetlands, wooden post, Yellow-bellied Marmot, young|

This morning I am sharing some photos of the mammals I loved finding, seeing, photographing and having in my viewfinder in 2022.

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Wishing You A Bright And Peaceful Yule

By Mia McPherson|December 24th, 2022|Categories: Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: bright, canyon, conifers, fog, mountains, peaceful, snow, snowy, spring, trees, Wasatch Mountains, Yule|

Today, no matter where you are, no matter what you celebrate at this time of the year, I wish you a bright and peaceful Yule.

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Queenfisher – 2023 ABA Bird of the Year

By Mia McPherson|December 11th, 2022|Categories: Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Salt Lake County, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: 2023 ABA Bird of the Year, adult, autumn, Belted Kingfisher, branch, branches, canyon, creek, Davis County, fall, female, Glover Pond, kingfisher, kingfishers, marsh, Megaceryle alcyon, mountains, perched, Queenfisher, sky, spring, stream, throne, wetlands, winter|

The 2023 ABA Bird of the Year was revealed yesterday evening. The bird of the year is the Queenfisher, also known as the female Belted Kingfisher.

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International Vulture Awareness Day 2022

By Mia McPherson|September 3rd, 2022|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Tooele County, Turkey Vultures, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Cathartes aura, desert, flight, flying, foothills, juniper, landing, lichen, lift off, perched, raptors, rock, sage, sagebrush, sky, spring, stump, Turkey Vulture, vulture, Vulture Awareness Day, vultures|

The first Saturday of September is International Vulture Awareness Day which is a day to bring awareness to these birds that face a range of threats.

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Juvenile Green-tailed and Spotted Towhee Side By Side

By Mia McPherson|July 10th, 2022|Categories: Bird ID, Birds, Green-tailed Towhees, Morgan County, Salt Lake County, Spotted Towhees, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, chick, comparison, fence post, fledgling, Green-tailed Towhee, immature, Jordan River, juvenile, lichens, low light, male, mountains, perched, Pipilo chlorurus, Pipilo maculatus, riparian habitat, river, snow, sparrow, sparrows, Spotted Towhee, spring, summer, towhee, towhees, urban, willows, winter, wooden post, young|

Until two days ago I had never gotten photos of a juvenile Green-tailed and young Spotted Towhee in the same frame so I was thrilled when I saw them fly in.

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Adult Uinta Ground Squirrel Photos

By Mia McPherson|July 3rd, 2022|Categories: Summit County, Uinta Ground Squirrels, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, attention, background, canyon, close up, eating, gnarly, grass, grasses, green, ground squirrel, ground squirrels, mammals, mountains, muddy, nibbling, nose, portrait, sagebrush, silky, spring, squirrel, squirrels, standing, stump, summer, Uinta Ground Squirrel, Urocitellus armatus|

This morning I'm sharing some adult Uinta Ground Squirrel photos that were taken high in the Wasatch Mountains over the past month that I like a lot.

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Male American Goldfinch Perched Above A Creek

By Mia McPherson|June 24th, 2022|Categories: American Goldfinches, Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, American Goldfinch, blue, breeding plumage, canyon, finch, finches, goldfinch, goldfinches, male, mountains, perched, sky, small in frame, Spinus tristis, spring|

Today I am keeping my post short and simple with a male American Goldfinch in his breeding plumage perched high above a Wasatch Mountain creek.

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Male Yellow Warbler Photos

By Mia McPherson|June 21st, 2022|Categories: Birds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Yellow Warblers|Tags: blue, bright, canyon, food, male, mountains, peering, perched, riparian habitat, Setophaga petechia, sining, sky, spring, Summer Solstice, Summit County, Utah, warbler, warblers, Wasatch Mountains, willow, willow thicket, willows, wood-warbler, wood-warblers, Yellow Warbler, young|

Last week while up in the mountains on two separate mornings I was able to take some adult male Yellow Warbler photos at the same willow thicket.

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Blooming Hound’s Tongue In The Wasatch Mountains

By Mia McPherson|June 20th, 2022|Categories: Hound’s Tongue, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, Wildflowers|Tags: bloom, blooming, canyon, Cynoglossum officinale, flowering, flowers, Hounds-tongue, invasive, mountains, nonnative, noxious weed, pink wildflowers, purple wildflowers, spring, wildflowers|

Hound’s Tongue is considered a noxious weed in Utah. Although it is labeled a noxious weed I think blooming Hound's Tongue is pretty.

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Happy Father’s Day 2022

By Mia McPherson|June 19th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Spotted Sandpipers, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: Actitis macularia, adult, canyon, creek, dads, incubating, mountains, perched, riparian habitat, sandpiper, sandpipers, shorebirds, Spotted Sandpiper, spring, stump, water|

Why would I select a sandpiper photograph to express my Happy Father's Day wishes to all the dads out there?

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Male Brewer’s Blackbird After Bathing In A Creek

By Mia McPherson|June 18th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, alpine creek, bath, blackbird, blackbirds, Brewer's Blackbird, canyon, creek, Euphagus cyanocephalus, male, mountains, preening, riparian habitat, shaking, spring, stump, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains, water|

A few days ago I spotted a male Brewer's Blackbird bathing in the cool, shallow water of an alpine creek and moved towards him to take a few photos.

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Gray Catbird On A Stump In A Creek

By Mia McPherson|June 17th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Gray Catbirds, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, catbird, catbirds, creek, Dumetella carolinensis, Gray Catbird, mountains, perched, riparian habitat, spring, stump|

While I was up in the Wasatch Mountains two days ago I photographed an adult Gray Catbird on a stump that is stuck close to a creek bank.

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Cedar Waxwing Photos And Serviceberries Are Setting Fruit

By Mia McPherson|June 16th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Cedar Waxwings, Morgan County, Utah, Utah Serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, Amelanchier utahensis, berries, berry, Bombycilla cedrorum, canyon, Cedar Waxwing, flowering shrub, flowering tree, fruiting shrub, fruiting tree, mountains, perched, serviceberry, spring, staring, Utah Serviceberry, waxwing, waxwings|

Yesterday morning one of the birds I photographed was a stunning adult Cedar Waxwing perched on a serviceberry that has started to develop fruit.

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