Troglodytes aedon – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

World Wildlife Day 2024

By Mia McPherson|March 3rd, 2024|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Clark County, Conservation, Great Basin Bumble Bees, House Wrens, Idaho, Long-horned Bees, Moose, Targhee National Forest, Utah|Tags: Alces alces, Bombus centralis, Eucerini, forest, Great Basin Bumble Bee, House Wren, iNaturalist, Long-horned Bee, mammals, marsh, Moose, sagebrush steppe, Troglodytes aedon, wetlands, wildlife, World Wildlife Day|

Every March 3, the world comes together to honor World Wildlife Day, a global occasion that pays tribute to the astounding array of life inhabiting our planet.

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Low Light House Wren In The Wasatch Mountains

By Mia McPherson|September 7th, 2022|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, branches, canyon, House Wren, low light, mountains, riparian habitat, summer, Troglodytes aedon, willow thicket, willows, wren, wrens|

At the end of August I photographed this low light House Wren in a willow thicket high in the Wasatch Mountains next to an alpine creek.

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House Wren With Insect Prey

By Mia McPherson|June 30th, 2022|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch County|Tags: adult, bill, branch, branches, canyon, ethics, House Wren, insect, mountains, nesting birds, nestlings, perched, prey, summer, Troglodytes aedon, wren, wrens, young|

Four days ago I stopped briefly where I knew that there was a House Wren nest and was delighted to see an adult with insect prey for its young in its bill.

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House Wren And A Rusty Pipe

By Mia McPherson|July 6th, 2021|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, House Wren, metal pipe, mountains, perched, rusty, summer, Troglodytes aedon, wren|

I photographed this adult House Wren last week while I was up in the Wasatch Mountains looking for birds and cooling off in higher elevation temperatures.

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Adult House Wren With A Large Feather

By Mia McPherson|June 24th, 2021|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, canyon, feather, House Wren, metal pipe, mountains, nest, nest entrance, nesting material, nesting season, rusty, summer, Troglodytes aedon|

After taking photos of Cliff Swallows gathering nesting materials two days ago I took more House Wren photos of the nesting pair I found in the Wasatch Mountains.

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Nesting House Wren Photos

By Mia McPherson|June 22nd, 2021|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, Amelanchier utahensis, canyon, entrance, House Wren, metal pipe, mountains, nest, nesting, prey, rusty, sagebrush, serviceberry, singing, stump, summer, Summit County, Troglodytes aedon, Utah, Utah Serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains, wren, wrens|

Had it not been for my keen eyesight and a little bit of movement in a serviceberry shrub I would have missed out on taking nesting House Wren photos yesterday.

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Recent Birds I’ve Found In The West Desert

By Mia McPherson|May 31st, 2021|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Lazuli Buntings, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, Warbling Vireos, West Desert, Western Kingbirds|Tags: adult, barbed wire, basking, branch, bunting, buntings, Buteos, canyon, fence, fence post, foothills, foraging, forest, hawk, hawks, House Wren, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, kingbird, kingbirds, Lazuli Bunting, male, mixed deciduous conifer forest, morning, mountains, Passerina amoena, perched, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk, sky, sky island mountains, spring, sun, Troglodytes aedon, Tyrannus verticalis, tyrant flycatchers, Utah Juniper, vireo, Vireo gilvus, vireos, Warbling Vireo, warmth, Western Kingbird, wild rose, wooden post, wren, wrens|

Last week I made two trips out to the West Desert and today I am sharing a medley of recent birds that I found while I was out there.

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Molting House Wren

By Mia McPherson|August 24th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Clark County, House Wrens, Idaho, Morgan County, Targhee National Forest, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, aspen, branch, canyon, cavity, feathers, forest, House Wren, molt, molting, mountains, nest, nest cavity, perched, thicket, tree, Troglodytes aedon, twigs, willow, wren, wrens|

About two weeks ago I photographed a molting House Wren high in the Wasatch Mountains as it perched near a willow thicket.

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Focusing On House Wrens

By Mia McPherson|May 18th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Clark County, House Wrens, Idaho, Morgan County, Targhee National Forest, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, aspen, canyon, conifer, forest, House Wren, male, mountains, nest, nesting cavity, nesting tree, perched, Populus tremuloides, Quaking Aspen, singing, small in frame, tree, Troglodytes aedon, wren, wrens|

To photograph House Wrens and other birds I know I need to find them which means focusing my attention on the sights and sounds around me whenever I am out in the field which has worked extremely well for me.

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Nesting Mountain Bluebirds And Other Woodland Birds

By Mia McPherson|April 30th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Chipping Sparrows, House Wrens, Mountain Bluebirds, Yellow-rumped Warblers|Tags: adult, aspen, bird finding tip, bluebird, bluebirds, branch, breeding plumage, breeding season, canyon, Chipping Sparrow, clod, close up, dirt, forest, forest edge, gathering, House Wren, instincts, looking up, male, mate, Mountain Bluebird, mountains, nesting cavity, nesting materials, perched, photographic rut, portrait, regal, road, Setophaga coronata, shadow, Sialia currucoides, singing, sparrow, sparrows, Spizella passerina, spring, thrushes, trees, Troglodytes aedon, warbler, warblers, wren, wrens, Yellow-rumped Warbler|

Yesterday I had a blast photographing a pair of Mountain Bluebirds at a natural nesting cavity at the edge of a forest along with some other woodland birds.

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Visions Of Spring And Nesting House Wrens

By Mia McPherson|January 30th, 2020|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Summit County, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Utah|Tags: adult, aspen, cavity, clinging, forest, House Wren, nest, nest opening, nesting, nesting behavior, nesting cavity, nesting season, nesting tree, peeking, Populus tremuloides, Quaking Aspen, spring, tree, Troglodytes aedon, wren, wrens|

These nesting House Wren photos were taken two years ago at the end of May high up in the Uinta Mountains where stands of aspens are used as nesting trees.

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Singing Wasatch Mountain House Wren

By Mia McPherson|July 2nd, 2019|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Morgan County, Utah|Tags: adult, canyon, favorite perch, forest, House Wren, mountains, singing, Troglodytes aedon, wren, wrens|

I probably took way too many images of the House Wren on the hummingbird's favorite perch but I feel like when a photographic opportunity presents itself I should take full advantage of it so that I don't have any regrets later on.

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Nesting House Wrens And A Closed Gate

By Mia McPherson|May 1st, 2019|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: breeding season, forest, House Wren, knothole, natural, nest, nesting cavity, nesting season, spring, Troglodytes aedon, wren, wrens|

I tried to get up into a canyon in the Stansbury Mountains yesterday but was met with a closed gate so I turned my Jeep around and decided that I would explore a different canyon.

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House Wrens Foraging in the Wasatch Mountains

By Mia McPherson|September 8th, 2018|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Little Dutch Hollow, Morgan County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: adult, back view, branches, brush pile, canyon, foraging, forest, forests, House Wren, inquisitive, lichen, mountains, Troglodytes aedon, wren, wrens|

Yesterday morning I was delighted to find two House Wrens foraging in a brush pile in the Wasatch Mountains not long after sunrise. This time of the year the wrens aren't singing like they do in the spring so I have to rely more on my eyes and not on a combination of my eyes and ears to locate them.

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Over the Shoulder Look from a House Wren – Plus an Illusion

By Mia McPherson|August 2nd, 2018|Categories: Birds, House Wrens, Summit County, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Utah|Tags: adult, branches, forest, hidden face, House Wren, illusion, low light, over the shoulder, trees, Troglodytes aedon, wren, wrens|

There are times I enjoy finding hidden faces in clouds, rocks, trees or other natural features and I saw one in this House Wren photo.

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Photographing Nesting House Wrens in the High Uintas

By Mia McPherson|June 2nd, 2018|Categories: House Wrens, Nesting Birds, Summit County, Uinta Mountains, Uinta National Forest, Utah|Tags: adult, aspen, cavity, cavity nesters, feather, forest, frustrations in photography, high Uintas, House Wren, Mirror Lake Highway, mountains, nest, nest opening, nesting, nesting behavior, nesting cavity, nesting season, photographing, Populus tremuloides, Quaking Aspen, secondary cavity nesters, Troglodytes aedon, wren, wrens|

Two days ago I spent time photographing nesting House Wrens in the high Uintas near Mirror Lake Highway, of interest to me is that two years ago I photographed Red-naped Sapsuckers using this same nesting cavity.

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Shades of Green With A House Wren

By Mia McPherson|March 17th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Clark County, House Wrens, Idaho, Targhee National Forest|Tags: adult, forest, green background, House Wren, perched, singing, song, Troglodytes aedon, wren, wrens|

It just seemed fitting on St Patrick's Day to post something with a bit of green in it so I selected this House Wren photo I took in May of 2014 in the Targhee National Forest in Clark County, Idaho.

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Migrating House Wren at Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|May 6th, 2016|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, House Wrens, Utah|Tags: calls, House Wren, immature, marsh, migrating, migration, perched, rush, secondary cavity nesters, songs, Troglodytes aedon, wetlands, wren, wrens, young|

Last August I was a bit surprised to see a House Wren at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge from the auto tour loop around the marshes there.

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The Demise of the Magical Sapsucker Tree and the Luck of Finding More Nesting Cavity Trees

By Mia McPherson|June 14th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Clark County, House Wrens, Idaho, Red-naped Sapsuckers, Targhee National Forest|Tags: aspen, branch, campsite, cavities, cavity, cavity nesters, forest, House Wren, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Montana, mountains, nest, nesting cavity, nesting tree, nests, Populus tremuloides, Quaking Aspen, Red-naped Sapsucker, safe haven, sapsucker, sapsuckers, Sphyrapicus nuchalis, tree, Troglodytes aedon, woodpecker, wren, wrens|

I am heart-broken about losing the Magical Sapsucker Tree but I am glad to have found a few more where the chicks are thriving and are safe so far.

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Raising my glass to 2015!

By Mia McPherson|January 1st, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Beaverhead County, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Centennial Valley, Clark County, Davis County, House Wrens, Idaho, Montana, Moose, Swainson's Hawks, Targhee National Forest, Utah|Tags: Alces alces, bird photography, birds, Black-billed Magpie, Buteo swainsoni, Buteos, calf, close up, flight, flying, grasses, hawk, hawks, House Wren, immature, juvenile, magpie, magpies, Moose, Pica hudsonia, portrait, raptors, road, running, Swainson's Hawk, Troglodytes aedon, wildlife photography, wren, wrens|

Raising the glass attached to my camera that is! I'm excited about the photographic opportunities that will present themselves in 2015.

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The Magical Sapsucker Tree in Clark County, Idaho

By Mia McPherson|July 4th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Clark County, House Wrens, Idaho, Red-naped Sapsuckers, Targhee National Forest, Tree Swallows, Williamson's Sapsuckers|Tags: adult, aspen, branches, cavity, chattering, fecal sacs, female, food, forest, House Wren, male, nest, nesting, nesting cavity, nesting tree, nestlings, pair, Populus tremuloides, prey, Quaking Aspen, Red-naped Sapsucker, sapsucker, sapsuckers, secondary cavity nesters, Sphyrapicus, Sphyrapicus nuchalis, Sphyrapicus thyroideus, swallow, Tachycineta bicolor, tree, Tree Swallow, Troglodytes aedon, Williamson's Sapsucker, wooded, woodpecker, woodpeckers, wren, wrens|

A month ago I photographed a pair of Williamson's Sapsuckers excavating a nesting cavity in Idaho and this past week I spent several days photographing them again.

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House Wrens – Nesting Behavior

By Mia McPherson|June 4th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Clark County, House Wrens, Idaho, Targhee National Forest|Tags: adult, aspen, branch, break, cavity nesters, chattering, head, House Wren, nesting, nesting behavior, nesting cavity, nesting material, nesting tree, perched, poking, Populus tremuloides, Quaking Aspen, secondary cavity nesters, singing, stump, Troglodytes aedon, wren, wrens|

For a few days now I said I was going to do a post about the House Wrens I photographed at the same nesting tree as the Williamson's Sapsuckers, here it is.

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