Utah Juniper – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Juniper Titmouse Photos In Utah

By Mia McPherson|December 13th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Juniper Titmouses, Mercur Canyon, Simpson Springs, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, autumn, Baeolophus ridgwayi, close up, desert, fall, foothills, juniper, Juniper Titmouse, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, perched, portrait, sky island mountains, small in frame, titmice, titmouse, tree, trees, Utah Juniper|

Even though I have taken Juniper Titmouse images, this titmouse species is still a bit of a nemesis bird for me. I just don't see them as much as I would like.

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Another Scrub-Jay Name Change in 2024

By Mia McPherson|December 5th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Ophir Canyon, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays|Tags: adult, American Ornithological Society, AOS, Aphelocoma woodhouseii, autumn, bill, corvids, fall, food, jay, jays, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, name change, perched, scrub-jay, scrub-jays, seeds, shrub, sky island mountains, tree, Utah Juniper, winter, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay|

Lately, I've been wondering what the new name for the Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay species, that I photograph here in Utah, will be when it is changed in 2024.

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My Solitaire Common Name Change Recommendation

By Mia McPherson|November 20th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Box Elder County, Tooele County, Townsend's Solitaires, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, autumn, berries, berry, Box Elder County, Celtis reticulata, desert, fall, Fragrant Sumac, hackberries, hackberry, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, leaves, Myadestes townsendi, Netleaf Hackberry, perched, ranchlands, Rhus aromatica, roadside, shrub, sky, snow, snowy, solitaire, solitaires, sumac, thrush, thrushes, Townsend's Solitaire, tree, Utah, Utah Juniper|

In 2024, the common name for Townsend's Solitaire will change, along with many other bird names. My recommendation would be to rename it the Juniper Solitaire.

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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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Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay With Different Backgrounds

By Mia McPherson|January 12th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays|Tags: adult, Aphelocoma woodhouseii, background, desert, foot hills, jay, jays, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, mountains, perched, scrub-jay, scrub-jays, sky, sky island mountains, tree, trees, Utah Juniper, winter, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay|

This morning I'm sharing two photos of the same Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay perched in the West Desert on the same juniper with two different backgrounds.

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Immature Red-tailed Hawk In The West Desert

By Mia McPherson|September 11th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: Buteo jamaicensis, Buteos, feather, fence post, foothills, hawk, hawks, immature, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, looking, morning, perched, preening, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk, sky, sky island mountains, soaking up, summer, Tooele County, Utah, Utah Juniper, warmth, west desert, wooden post, young|

Last month while I wandered in the West Desert I found an immature Red-tailed Hawk perched on a wooden fence post in the foothills of some sky island mountains.

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Female Western Tanager Perched On A Juniper

By Mia McPherson|May 25th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Western Tanagers|Tags: adult, canyon, desert, female, hidden, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, male, mountains, perched, Piranga ludoviciana, sky island mountains, spring, tanager, tanagers, tree, Utah Juniper, Western Tanager|

Yesterday morning I spent time photographing a female Western Tanager perched on a juniper in a canyon out in the sky island mountains of the West Desert of Utah.

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Lark Sparrow Photos Taken In The West Desert

By Mia McPherson|May 22nd, 2022|Categories: Birds, Lark Sparrows, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, Chondestes grammacus, desert, fence post, foothills, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, Lark Sparrow, metal post, mountains, perched, singing, sky, sparrow, sparrows, spring, Utah Juniper, west desert, wooden post|

I haven't shared any of my recent Lark Sparrow photos this spring so I thought I would remedy that by sharing some that I took out in the West Desert nine days ago.

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Snow Dusted Views Of Utah’s West Desert Mountains

By Mia McPherson|October 14th, 2021|Categories: Tooele County, Trees, Utah, West Desert|Tags: Abies concolor, autumn, canyon, cone, cones, Douglas fir, dusted, fall, fir, firs, ice, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, landscape, mountains, peaks, Pseudotsuga menziesii, rabbitbrush, rock, rocks, sage, sagebrush, sky, snow, snowy, tree, trees, Utah Juniper, views, water droplet, White Fir|

I saw snow on Utah's West Desert mountains for the first time since late spring so I thought I'd share a few views of what I saw while out there yesterday morning.

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How I Found A Flock Of Clark’s Nutcrackers Yesterday

By Mia McPherson|October 2nd, 2021|Categories: Birds, Clark's Nutcrackers, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: autumn, birding instincts, canyon, Clark's Nutcracker, corvids, Douglas fir, ears, eyes, fall, fir, firs, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, mountains, Nucifraga columbiana, nutcracker, nutcrackers, paying attention, Pseudotsuga menziesii, skills, sky island mountains, tree, trees, Utah Juniper|

My eyes and my birding instincts didn't lead me astray because there was a Clark's Nutcracker perched at the top of the fir.

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More West Desert Red-tailed Hawk Images

By Mia McPherson|September 15th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: Abies concolor, adult, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteos, canyon, cone, cones, conifer, desert, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, immature, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, mountains, perched, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk, side lit, sky island mountains, summer, Utah Juniper, White Fir, young|

I went out into the West Desert yesterday and came back with more Red-tailed Hawk images that I was delighted to have taken and that I am happy with.

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Cooperative West Desert Red-tailed Hawk

By Mia McPherson|September 13th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteos, calm cooperative, confiding, desert, errant, feather, foothills, habitat, hawk, hawks, haze, head, inset, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, look, mountains, over the shoulder, perched, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk, sky, sky island mountains, smoky, summer, Utah Juniper|

Last week I photographed a very cooperative adult Red-tailed Hawk that was next to a road in the West Desert of Utah on a smoky morning.

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Adult Red-tailed Hawk Lifting Off

By Mia McPherson|September 11th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, altitude, birds of prey, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteos, desert, flight, flying, hawk, hawks, haze, juniper, Juniperus osteosperma, perched, raptors, Red-tailed Hawk, sky island mountains, smoky, summer, taking off, Utah Juniper|

It didn't take long before the Red-tailed Hawk raised its wings to lift off from the juniper with a smoky blue sky in the background.

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Small Herd Of Mule Deer On A Smoky Morning

By Mia McPherson|September 10th, 2021|Categories: Mule Deer, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: deer, doe, grasses, haze, herd, juniper, Juniperus osteosperma, morning, mountains, Mule Deer, Odocoileus hemionus, sky island mountains, smoke, smoky, Utah Juniper, wildfire, young|

Yesterday morning I photographed a small herd of Mule Deer in a smoky haze while I was looking for birds in the West Desert.

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Remembering Smokeless Days

By Mia McPherson|August 9th, 2021|Categories: Tooele County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: canyon, clouds, conifers, desert, grasses, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, mountains, sage, sagebrush, shadows, sky, sky island mountains, spring, Stansbury Mountains, Utah Juniper|

The photo I shared today isn't of anything special. It is a West Desert mountain range view. That smokeless blue sky though? I'd give so much to see that again here today.

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Lark Sparrow In Golden Morning Light

By Mia McPherson|June 4th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Lark Sparrows, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, Chondestes grammacus, clouds, fence, fence post, fence posts, foothills, golden light, grasses, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, Lark Sparrow, mountains, perched, sky, sky island mountains, sparrow, sparrows, spring, Utah Juniper|

Two days ago I photographed this adult Lark Sparrow that I found perched on an old fence post in golden light in the West Desert of Tooele County.

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Chipping Sparrow With Food For Its Chicks

By Mia McPherson|June 3rd, 2021|Categories: Birds, Chipping Sparrows, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, breeding plumage, breeding season, Chipping Sparrow, food, foothills, juniper, Juniperus osteosperma, mountains, perched, prey, sky island mountains, sparrow, sparrows, Spizella passerina, spring, Utah Juniper|

I was photographing a Lark Sparrow when I spotted this Chipping Sparrow with food in its bill fly in and land on a juniper bough.

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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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West Desert Rock Wren Photos

By Mia McPherson|May 30th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Rock Wrens, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, back view, desert, early morning light, fence post, foothills, gnarly, juniper, Juniperus osteosperma, Rock Wren, Salpinctes obsoletus, singing, sky island mountains, spring, Utah Juniper, wooden post, wren, wrens|

I have been able to take more Rock Wren photos in the West Desert the last two times I have wandered out there.

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Singing Rock Wren In The West Desert

By Mia McPherson|May 20th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Rock Wrens, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, back view, clod, desert, dirt, end, foothills, grass, grasses, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, perched, rock, Rock Wren, rocks, Salpinctes obsoletus, singing, sky island mountains, spring, tail, Tooele County, Utah, Utah Juniper, west desert, wren, wrens|

Yesterday when I spotted a Rock Wren singing from the top of a juniper in Utah's West Desert I hoped to take a few decent photos of it before it flew away.

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West Desert Juniper Titmouse Feeding On Juniper Berry Seeds

By Mia McPherson|November 27th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Juniper Titmouses, Simpson Springs, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: Baeolophus ridgwayi, berry, bill, bird names, cone, desert, drab, eating, feeding behavior, gray, juniper, Juniper Titmouse, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, nemesis, perched, plain, plural, seed, singular, titmice, titmouse, titmouses, Utah Juniper|

Because I have spent so much time out in the West Desert lately I have seen and heard quite a few Juniper Titmice moving through the junipers that dot the slopes of the mountains and foothills.

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Light Morph Rough-legged Hawk In The West Desert

By Mia McPherson|November 25th, 2019|Categories: Birds, Rough-legged Hawks, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, birds of prey, Buteo lagopus, Buteos, flight, flying, foothills, hawk, hawks, Hawks of Utah, Juniperus osteosperma, light morph, male, raptors, Rough-legged Hawk, Utah Juniper|

There was a stiff breeze blowing and when the light morph Rough-legged Hawk lifted off from the juniper it seemed to me as if he did it in slow motion.

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Mule Deer Doe & May Snow In The Stansbury Mountains

By Mia McPherson|May 2nd, 2019|Categories: Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: cold, deer, deers, desert, doe, female, juniper, juniper-pinyon communities, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, May, Mule Deer, Odocoileus hemionus, sky island mountains, snow, spring, Utah Juniper, weather|

My best photo of the morning was a Mule Deer doe in a stand of junipers and even then a cloud blocked the beautiful light. Yes, that is snow on the junipers, on May 1st!

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Chipping Sparrow, Mourning Dove and Changing Views

By Mia McPherson|May 11th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Chipping Sparrows, Mourning Doves, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert|Tags: adult, canyons, Chipping Sparrow, chopped down, dove, doves, explored, fence post, juniper, juniper-pinyon communities, junipers, mountains, Mourning Dove, nesting, perched, post, singing, sparrow, sparrows, Spizella passerina, Utah Juniper, wooden post, Zenaida macroura|

I couldn't resist photographing this tiny Chipping Sparrow singing while perched on a "cedar" fence post with the sky and dark juniper behind it.

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Conservation Is A State Of Harmony

By Mia McPherson|October 6th, 2014|Categories: Conservation, Dead Horse Point State Park, Trees, Utah|Tags: Aldo Leopold, conservation, juniper, junipers, Juniperus osteosperma, nature, nature photography, tree, trees, Utah Juniper|

I would love to say that while I am wandering around exploring the natural wonders we have been gifted with that I can forget about the assaults on the land and the creatures that live there but I can't.

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