Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Black-billed Magpie

I am linking up with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes

For this week's wild bird I am sharing the Black-billed Magpie from our visit to Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park.
The Black-billed Magpies were a common bird seen during our Colorado vacation.. Many would be hanging around the parking lots and picnic grounds..



The Black-billed Magpie is in the Crow family. They are found in the western half of the USA, from Alaska to New Mexico. In the photo above you can see their tail makes up for half of their length.


The Magpie is black with white shoulders and white belly. They have dark blue-green wings and tail.  I think they are handsome birds and look beautiful in flight.




I hope you enjoyed seeing the Magpie, they are cool looking birds..
Thanks for stopping by my post and for all the nice comments.

Join in and post your birdies and to see more beautiful and wonderful bird photos please visit:
 Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Michelle's  Nature Notes.  Thanks to both of our hosts... Michelle for Nature Notes and our host Stewart of Wild Bird Wednesday.  Happy Birding and have a wonderful week!

60 comments:

chica said...

Muito lindo e bem fotografado! bjs tudo de bom,chica

Reader Wil said...

These magpies are more colourful than ours! Thanks for sharing!
Have a great week.
Wil, ABCW Team

DIMI said...

Good morning Eileen!!
Great shots of the Black-billed Magpie!Gorgeous pictures!I like those birds!I really enjoyed reading the informations and watching your photos!!
Have a happy day!Hugs!
Dimi...

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

neat birds, even if they are a little loud (but then so am I)

Love the pictures.

Irma said...

Hi Eileen,
What a nice pictures of the magpie.
Photo 2 I find totally amazing.

Dicky Bird said...

Thanks for posting - I've never seen those in my neck of the woods - Wisconsin

Mersad said...

Beautiful images. Love the shallow depth of field, as well as the birds.

orchid0324 said...

This Black-billed Magpie is common bird around there♪♪♪ I thought the face part looks similar with cow, too :-) I LOVE the long tailed handsome guy, Eileen.

Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend in America, xoxo Miyako*

MadSnapper said...

first ever seeing this one, he is beautiful, i love the tri colors.

Linda Kay said...

Eileen, another example of an amazing mix of colors on the feathers. I've not seen a magpie up close.

TexWisGirl said...

i think they're beautiful! wish we got them here!

DeniseinVA said...

Beautiful bird and wonderful photos Eileen.

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

I'd LOVE to see a Magpie! Crows are my very favorite..

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Fabulous photos - we saw this kind of mockingbird in Eastern WA - it was terrific to see a new bird.

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Oh dear - Magpie - and I remember the one in Eastern WA so well. There were mockingbirds there too - but I was more impressed with the magpies.

instantnewsnepal said...

nice shot and thank you for sharing nepalihandmade

Rohrerbot said...

Haha!!!! When you posted this shot, I knew exactly what state you were visiting:) We leave in October and look forward to spotting these birds again. Very few enter into Arizona....one of my personal favorites. Did you search for the Ptarmigan?

Antiques And Teacups said...

Great photos! Are magpies don't have as much blue...yours are prettier! Thanks for visiting!
Ruth

Ela said...

It's a very photogenic bird ! At your photos this bird looks beautiful !
Greetings :)

Nancy J said...

Gorgeous colour in those feathers, super photos, Here in NZ the magpie is black and white, and considered a pest, they are aggressive, attack other birds, their nests, upend the nest and dislodge the wee chicks, hope yours are better in their behaviour, as they are in colour, Cheers,Jean.

Breathtaking said...

Very good captures Eileen.The Black-billed Magpie is a handsome looking bird,...love those long tails.

HappyK said...

Oh my he certainly is a pretty one. Love all those colors.

Our photos said...

I agree, they are handsome birds. Well captured !

Stephanie said...

A colorful bird. Nice to look at.

George said...

These photos of the magpie are marvelous.

Adam Jones said...

Great pictures. The Magpie has so much character.

Hootin Anni said...

I lived just a bit south of the Rocky Mtn. National Park for over 40 years....and I do have to say, I really MISS those magpies.

Bob Bushell said...

Beautiful Magpie images.

Marie-Anne said...

Common magpies in Greece are only black and white, and we have many visiting us every day!!! I had never seen one like the one you show us...with lovely blue feathers!
Have a nice Wednesday, dear Eileen!

Valerie said...

That second-to-last shot is a cracker! (thank you for stopping by my blog, Eileen)

Brian King said...

Very handsome birds! I wish we had them here.

Cloudia said...

Excellent looks at this bird, E!





ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
=^..^= . <3 . >< } } (°>



Elizabeth Edwards said...

they are every where out west states ... they are pretty nosey too!! like getting into your trash & checking things out. love the feather close up shots. ( :

Bethany Carson said...

Wow! That bird has a very impressive tail. The blue coloring of his feathers really makes him stand out. I've never seen a magpie before, but have heard about them!

Laura said...

I too am struck by the lovely blue plumage toward the tail end of this beautiful bird.

Pat said...

A beautiful bird!

Susan said...

Attractive birds. I first saw them on our trip to Colorado a few years back but at that time I couldn't identify them. Nice shots, Eileen!

SquirrelQueen said...

Love your shots of the Magpies, they are a common sight in our area. The ones in my yard are very shy and rarely give me a good pose.

Jacqueline said...

Wow, that is a beauty pageant magpie! How spectacular and you did such a great job capturing it!

Indrani said...

Neat captures.

Hootin Anni said...

Like I said yesterday....I miss 'em.

Stewart M said...

Nice looking bird - it's closely related to the Magpies we saw in the UK.

I always think that this blue/black and white pattern in very underrated!

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

Debbie said...

you got some really good images of this very cool bird. i have never seen one, except on blogs ;)

Anonymous said...

Lovely bird shots.

EG CameraGirl said...

Handsome bird, Eileen. I have never seen any kind of magpie but hope to one day!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Love that bird --but didn't know they are part of the crow family. Interesting. I saw some also when we were in Colorado (Garden of the Gods) --and got some pictures. Love their colors, don't you?
Hugs,
Betsy

Anonymous said...

Hi Eileen, I used to see Yellow-billed Magpies in Sacramento, Calif. when I lived there. They are interesting and behave in ways similar to crows. Have a pleasant day today!

Unknown said...

They're very handsome birds and they're smart too.

A Colorful World said...

We saw so few birds on our trip, but then we aren't able to do any hiking, and we didn't stay in campgrounds or stop more than a couple of times at rest stops. Would have loved to see this guy! He's beautiful! Great shots!

Ida said...

I did enjoy your photos of the Magpie's. They have been visiting here this summer along with the crows for the seeds and peanuts I leave out. I love their long tails.

KaHolly said...

What great pictures. I have never seen a magpie!

Small City Scenes said...

Crazy Magpies. I see them all over Eastern Washington but cannot get a shot. Whoosh they are gone or hide behind some bushes. MB

Lynne said...

I really like it when I catch a "first time view" through you!
Love the markings . . .

Ivy and Elephants said...

Loved seeing a real magpie up close! The photos are just gorgeous!
Hugs,
Patti

Poppy said...

What a beautiful bird the black billed magpie is! Thank you for the gorgeous macros, Eileen!

Happy Thursday!

Poppy

Noushka said...

It really looks much like ours in Europe!
Fantastic shots here too! :)
Keep well!

Rambling Woods said...

Great photos Eileen.... These birds would be smart then too? I think I have read about magpies being smart.. Michelle

Kathie Brown said...

Eileen, I think they are very beautiful as well!

Anonymous said...

What a stunning bird!

Sallie (fulltime-life) said...

Eileen I just finished a post on the magpies we saw in Alaska. You are going to think I copied you, except of course your pictures are better. Honestly I just put it in to publish tomorrow for WBW.

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