For a day thatthe weather forecasters said wouldbe “Sunny” this morning sure didn’t start off that way. In fact, for the first hour or more the light was very wishy-washy. The clouds were thick to the east and blocking the sun. But… when the sun finally did start to shine one bird made the bad […]
Author: Mia McPherson
Mia McPherson is a nature lover, wildlife watcher and an avian photographer. Mia first become serious about bird photography when she moved to Florida in 2004. Her recent move to the Salt Lake area of Utah was a great opportunity to continue observing their behavior and photographing them. With so many birds species there easily accessible it wasn’t long before she was hooked. By learning more about each species, she can anticipate their behaviour and create opportunities to obtain ever better images of those species.
Western Meadowlark – Up close and personal
During the spring Western Meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta) can be easy to locate and then approach because they spend so much time singing from the tops of boulders, bushes, posts and other manmade objects. I photographed this Meadowlark singing while perched on a sign on Antelope Island State Park this past Monday. The bird was so […]
Black-bellied Plover – Composition is a Matter of Personal Taste
One photo of a Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola), two different compositions: As much as I like to compose images that are full frame I find that I often allow myself a touch of extra space around my subject so I can recompose in post processing by making different crops. When I photographed the resting Black-bellied […]
Shades of Blue (with birdsong)
Just a simple image of a Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) today. I photographed this Egret as it stalked prey along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico in Florida. This photo was taken around mid day, much later than I normally like to be out photographing because the light can get harsh. The reason why […]
Whoops – American Coot on Thin Ice
Some images are simply too funny not to share. Even with those huge feet this American Coot (Fulica americana) couldn’t stay in top of the ice at a pond near where I live in Salt Lake County, Utah. Any wonderful captions come to mind? Mia McPherson, OntheWingPhotography.com
American White Pelicans of the Great Basin
During the winter months I miss seeing large flocks of American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) soaring in the thermals, in the past few weeks I have been delighted to see them again. It is hard to explain to a person who has never seen American White Pelicans circling on the thermals how amazing it is […]
Pied-billed Grebe juvenile
These juvenile Pied-billed Grebes (Podilymbus podiceps) images were created at Farmington Bay Wildlife Management Area, just to the north of Salt Lake City, Utah. This is a hatch year Pied-billed Grebe and it still shows some of the camouflage that the immature birds have to help them hide from predators. This bird is in the […]
Birds with “Blown Eyes”
Because I am a bird photographer I get to see and photograph our beautiful feathered friends, learn their habits and behaviors and sometimes I get to take a look at unusual conditions in the birds themselves. The Yellow-crowned Night Heron above exhibits what I and other bird photographers have come to call “blown eye”. Both […]