Friday, November 25, 2011

Magpies

 This family of Magpies has been coming to my house for about 3 years now.  They have a particular call for me on days when I've not put any food out yet.

There is a large bear population in this area making it a bad idea to have a compost bin with scraps of food in it so they recycle my left overs for me and in exchange provide some entertainment.

I've read that they prey on eggs and nestlings of smaller birds but my huge flock of sparrows and finches don't seem to mind them, even when nesting so perhaps it's the scarcity of food that makes they prey on smaller birds.



I have no idea why this fellow has a crest on his head.  I didn't see it when taking the photo and even enlarging it didn't reveal why.
He does have a beak full of stale muffin.

  The photos aren't great as magpies are hard to capture with a camera. They are very alert and intelligent so the slightest movement scares them away

Here are a few Magpie images by various artists for sale at Zazzle

Watercolor Magpie in Bird, Animal Collection print
Watercolor Magpie in Bird, Animal Collection by countrymousestudio
sell your art online with zazzle.

I love the pose of this Magpie on the Fence from aquartistic

A Magpie perched on a fence bag
A Magpie perched on a fence by aquartistic
View other Magpie Bags

The colors are beautiful on this one from  lemmingsolution

Yellow Billed Magpie print
Yellow Billed Magpie by lemmingsolution
Browse Yellow billed magpie Posters

Great bird images for all species available from  birdorable

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8 comments:

  1. AmyNovember 25, 2011 at 5:17 PM

    I am jealous that you have magpies in your back yard! They are one of my favorites but I have not seen them for a while. I remember as a child seeing them on frequent summer holidays out to Colorado; it was always a treat to see them and a 'sign' that we were finally 'out west' when we saw our first one! :)

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  2. Out on the prairieNovember 26, 2011 at 6:33 AM

    I love your watercolor the best. A very nice selection to share.

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  3. TexWisGirlNovember 26, 2011 at 9:36 AM

    such cool birds! i'd love to see them in person! how neat that you have your locals. :)

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  4. Rick (Ratty)November 26, 2011 at 5:53 PM

    I would love to one day see a magpie. They are such beautiful birds.

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  5. Judy AdamsonNovember 27, 2011 at 1:14 AM

    Hi Carole - I'm very fond of magpies too and, like you, I've never seen the other birds in my garden worry about the magpie in the way that they do about the rooks.

    I think your watercolour painting is beautiful and I hope it will sell well!

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  6. DawnNovember 28, 2011 at 4:03 PM

    That is one very cute "Cute Magpie":)
    Better magpies than a bear in your yard I guess....ALTHOUGH- A bear would be very exciting!
    (And yes...that was Flax in that one post:))

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  7. Raindrops and DaisiesNovember 30, 2011 at 12:11 PM

    Not a fan of magpies
    because they seem to multiply day by day here!

    Love your watercolour painting,
    it s great.

    Fiona

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  8. AllisonNovember 30, 2011 at 11:07 PM

    So THAT is a magpie! :) You do such beautiful work.

    ReplyDelete

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