Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Black-billed Magpie

At the end of September I went to a wedding in Boulder, Colorado. Remarkably this was my first ever visit to Colorado.  I thought I would see so many birds.  Let's see:  I saw American Robin, American Crow, Blue Jay, Stellar's Jay (maybe) flying over, Black-capped Chickadee, Northern (red-shafted) Flicker, Belted Kingfisher (heard, not seen), maybe Mountain Chickadee (it was there, then it wasn't), silhouetted Pygmy Nuthatch and, of course, House Finch.  Oh, and Wild Turkeys (many) walking through the woods up nearer to the Flatiron peaks.  As far as I can recall, this was the entirety of my list.  Except, of course, the ever present Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia).  

The photos below were taken on Sunday morning while I was walking through a neighborhood along College Street.  The evidence of Saturday night partying was everywhere.  The magpie in these photos is not looking in the right place for discarded party snacks, but this is a super smart bird - both in appearance and cunning.   






Of course, there were other birds I would have liked to see (Lewis's Woodpecker!), but happy to have these magpie photos.

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