Near the end of a long winter I felt the need for some splashes of color this morning.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 400mm, not baited, set up or called in
I set this image aside for a post long ago and ongoing computer issues made today the perfect time to fall back on it. An unreliable primary computer isn’t a good thing for someone who publishes blog posts on an inflexible daily schedule. Black-billed Magpies are a favorite photo subject of mine and the yellow sunflowers with splashes of green in the background seem to have a calming effect on my frustrations and jangled nerves.
This young magpie posed briefly on a rock on Antelope Island. ‘He’ was too close for my 500mm lens but he gave me enough time to reach for my smaller zoom lens and take a few shots. I get tired of the ubiquitous tan backgrounds I get on the island most of the year so the greens and yellows back there are a refreshing change. I’m also quite happy with my exposure on this difficult black and white bird.
Magpies are feeling their springtime juices already. The magpies in my neighborhood are becoming even more raucous than usual and nest remodeling on the island has been in progress for some time.
So I look forward to more magpie photo ops in the near future.
Ron
PS – Don’t worry about me if there’s a few days down the road when I don’t post to Feathered Photography. If my computer dies on me it may take me some time to get back up and running.
The first time I had seen one was my first trip to AI. Now on subsequent trips I always look for the beautiful flash of black & white as they take flight. i hope to get back there soon. May/June is cancelled. Perhaps in the Fall.
Hope your computer doesn’t go toes-up anytime soon. This magpie sure picked some lovely scenery in which to hang out! 🙂
Marty, we’ve been doing a little fine tuning to my ‘puter today to see if it helps. I should know in the morning.
What a lovely, sweet photo! I love Magpies and wish we had them here. Love their cheeky spunky selves! This photo DID add brightness to my day and I needed it. Thank you, Ron….and I hear ya on the computer issues….I’m on borrowed time with this one myself. Thanks for your photos, always!
“Borrowed time” is a good way to describe my own situation with this one, Karen.
Beautiful addition to this sunny day today! Electronics are a wonder until they are not working and then you want to toss them as far as you can throw!
Yup, be it computers or cameras, right April? 🙂
I miss the Magpies most of all from my time in Utah.
Regarding EC’s statement, I read somewhere that Magpie is a contraction of Maggie’s Piebald. One could interpret that as Margaret’s Black and White. Probably not at all helpful.🥴
Helpful or not it’s still interesting Lyle.
Love this striking photo and I get really frustrated with computer issues. Too bad we need them!
Pat, I think of computers as being like sprinkler systems. The only thing worse than having one is not having one.
I do love that splash of colour. And your magpies, which are so very different to our magpie. Those responsible for naming birds suffer from a sad lack of imagination.
“Those responsible for naming birds suffer from a sad lack of imagination”
I agree, EC. The Ring-necked Duck comes to mind as a very poorly named bird (it should be Ring-billed Duck). But maybe that’s an example of having too much imagination rather than too little.
So nicely posed, the striking magpie looks great against the yellow flowers.
Thank you, Ken.
Gorgeous!!
Thanks, Kathleen.
Just lovely and seems a harbinger of good things to come!
I sure hope so, Cathy.
I feel your computer pain. I’m in computer/Internet connection/hot spot/overall electronics hell right with you. NOT a good place to be because computers (electronics) are just EVIL!
That aside, I so wish magpies lived here, but I feel lucky to have crows and ravens, jays are near enough that I can visit them. Not only that, but sunflowers are my favorite flowers along with daffodils. Wish I could convinve the neighborhood rabbits that they’re not good to eat, but NO!
And you’re right! It’s that time of year again. The Cornell redtails accomplished quite a bit of nestoration yesterday, concentrating on the cup where the eggs/kiddos will be soon! YIPPEE! Life is good!
“sunflowers are my favorite flowers along with daffodils”
Sounds like you’re a bit of a yellow addict, Laura. A good color choice, at least when it’s in nature.
Well yellow and redtail red tails, especially with filtered sunshine 😉
This was a nice bit of color indeed. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed the color, Arwen.
A beautiful, striking photo Ron. Helps to brighten my day as I wait impatiently for Spring. Good luck with your computer. I hope she hangs in there.
I hope so too. Thanks, Mark.
It IS a beautiful shot – the sunflowers REALLY add to it in this case – pretty and a nice “context” for the magpie…..😀 Our magpies, that have been pretty much absent from the yard for a year, are “thinking” about coming back in …much prefer the Blue Jays we’ve had this winter tho they are pretty raucous too…..😉
Hope the computer issues get handled in a timely manner without too many headaches – they can be a REAL PITA that way……
Judy, I’m not optimistic about my computer. It’s been slowly going downhill for quite a while now and I don’t expect that trend to change course.
Just what I needed this morning! A beautiful shot of a gorgeous bird. I love Magpies and I can’t wait for Spring weather and blossoms. Thanks!
Thank you, Joanne.
Beautiful composition, Ron. The Black-billed magpies sure look different (better) against some color in the background! I love watching them and trying to figure out their behaviors. Usually, I see just a few together, at most, but sometimes I have seen huge flocks of them (I think during grasshopper season). I look forward to seeing more of your magpie photos. Of course, I will never forget that great photo you have showing the iridescence in the feathers of the magpie carrying nesting material.
Figuring out their behaviors is a challenge isn’t it, Ed. And thanks for the kind comments about what must be my favorite magpie photo.
I am on the same mood as you are this morning. My intention today was to publish on my Fb page a photograph of a beautiful Yellow Warbler taken the last summer. I think my mental health need it. Regarding your post, I like very much the back ground with those nice yellow flowers. And the exposition on the magpie is top knotch. This lovely bird is absent from the Quebec list and you are very lucky to have it around your vicinity. Good work as always, Ron. Have a great day!
I think I’m lucky to have them too, Laval. I’ve never understood why some folks dislike magpies so much. I know they’re stated reasons but I still don’t get it.
“Black-billed Magpie Amongst Flowering Sunflowers” When I saw that I knew it was not going to be a photo from yesterday. Nice photo and the young Magpie really stands out against that background. I think spring is only 24 days from now so we will be seeing some more Magpies in the near future.
Thanks, Everett.
A ‘breath of fresh air’! Do like that photo…a spiritual pick me up. White and black is a challenge but his catch-light caught my eye immediately. 😍 We are having our recent snows melt off in a hurry. Just overnight it is surprising how much bare ground there is and with temps remaining 40ish for a projected week or so it should be gone in a hurry.
Thanks, Kathy. Most of our snow is already gone too but thankfully that last series of storms dumped on our mountains so we should have at least some water this summer. We still need more though…