{"id":13065,"date":"2013-03-08T06:35:41","date_gmt":"2013-03-08T13:35:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=13065"},"modified":"2013-03-08T07:54:16","modified_gmt":"2013-03-08T14:54:16","slug":"black-billed-magpies-constructing-their-nest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/08\/black-billed-magpies-constructing-their-nest\/","title":{"rendered":"Black-billed Magpies Constructing Their Nest"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This post is largely about behavior.\u00a0 The image\u00a0quality ranges\u00a0from good to mediocre but I think each photo contributes something to a better understanding of magpies.<\/p>\n<p>Black-billed Magpies begin nest-building as early as January and these particular birds have been at it for several weeks now.\u00a0 Actually, in this case it’s more a “remodel” than it is\u00a0“new construction” since this nest has been used for at least the last three years.<\/p>\n<p>All of these photos have been taken this week, which accounts for the relatively bright snow and ice background\u00a0in\u00a0some of the shots.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8358-ron-dudley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13066\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/08\/black-billed-magpies-constructing-their-nest\/black-billed-magpie-8358-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8358-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,643\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"7.1","credit":"RON DUDLEY","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1362388661","copyright":"","focal_length":"500","iso":"500","shutter_speed":"0.0004","title":""}\" data-image-title=\"black billed magpie 8358 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8358-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8358-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13066\" alt=\"black billed magpie 8358 ron dudley\" src=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8358-ron-dudley.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8358-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8358-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8358-ron-dudley-150x107.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8358-ron-dudley-400x285.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>1\/2500, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>One of the first things you may notice is the fact that sometimes these Black-billed Magpies don’t seem to\u00a0have black bills.\u00a0 Part of nest construction involves mud gathering and the drying mud on the bill can significantly alter the appearance of the bill.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8924-ron-dudley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13074\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/08\/black-billed-magpies-constructing-their-nest\/black-billed-magpie-8924-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8924-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,696\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"7.1","credit":"RON DUDLEY","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1362476969","copyright":"","focal_length":"500","iso":"500","shutter_speed":"0.0004","title":""}\" data-image-title=\"black billed magpie 8924 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8924-ron-dudley-300x232.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8924-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13074\" alt=\"black billed magpie 8924 ron dudley\" src=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8924-ron-dudley.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"696\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8924-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8924-ron-dudley-300x232.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8924-ron-dudley-150x116.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8924-ron-dudley-400x309.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>1\/2500, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Both sexes contribute to nest construction and they’re quite industrious in their efforts.\u00a0 The size of the twigs they bring in is often impressive.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8939-ron-dudley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13075\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/08\/black-billed-magpies-constructing-their-nest\/black-billed-magpie-8939-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8939-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,643\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"7.1","credit":"RON DUDLEY","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1362476975","copyright":"","focal_length":"500","iso":"500","shutter_speed":"0.00025","title":""}\" data-image-title=\"black billed magpie 8939 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8939-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8939-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13075\" alt=\"black billed magpie 8939 ron dudley\" src=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8939-ron-dudley.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8939-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8939-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8939-ron-dudley-150x107.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8939-ron-dudley-400x285.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>1\/4000, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>The nest is buried deep in a greasewood bush at about eye level for me.\u00a0 Typically a bird bringing in construction material will land on a nearby perch and look over the nest for a few moments – seeming to plan placement of the twig and an approach path through the myriad of vertical greasewood stems that present significant obstacles to proper placement of such an unwieldy object.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8945-ron-dudley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13076\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/08\/black-billed-magpies-constructing-their-nest\/black-billed-magpie-8945-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8945-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,695\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"7.1","credit":"RON DUDLEY","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1362476976","copyright":"","focal_length":"500","iso":"500","shutter_speed":"0.00025","title":""}\" data-image-title=\"black billed magpie 8945 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8945-ron-dudley-300x231.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8945-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13076\" alt=\"black billed magpie 8945 ron dudley\" src=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8945-ron-dudley.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"695\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8945-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8945-ron-dudley-300x231.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8945-ron-dudley-150x115.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8945-ron-dudley-400x308.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>1\/4000, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Then they launch and dive directly into the tangled thicket with the twig.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8811-ron-dudley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13072\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/08\/black-billed-magpies-constructing-their-nest\/black-billed-magpie-8811-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8811-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,643\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"7.1","credit":"RON DUDLEY","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1362475998","copyright":"","focal_length":"500","iso":"500","shutter_speed":"0.000625","title":""}\" data-image-title=\"black billed magpie 8811 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8811-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8811-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13072\" alt=\"black billed magpie 8811 ron dudley\" src=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8811-ron-dudley.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8811-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8811-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8811-ron-dudley-150x107.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8811-ron-dudley-400x285.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>1\/1600, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>They range far and wide for construction materials, occasionally bringing them in from very far away.\u00a0 Sometimes they rob another abandoned magpie\u00a0nest in the vicinity but they’ll also use twigs they find on the ground near the nest.\u00a0 This bird is picking one up within a few feet of the nest.\u00a0\u00a0Part of the reason I’m including this shot is to show the blue-white nictitating membrane that I “complained” about in a recent post.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8380-ron-dudley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13067\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/08\/black-billed-magpies-constructing-their-nest\/black-billed-magpie-8380-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8380-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,643\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"6.3","credit":"RON DUDLEY","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1362388854","copyright":"","focal_length":"500","iso":"500","shutter_speed":"0.0003125","title":""}\" data-image-title=\"black billed magpie 8380 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8380-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8380-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13067\" alt=\"black billed magpie 8380 ron dudley\" src=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8380-ron-dudley.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8380-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8380-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8380-ron-dudley-150x107.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8380-ron-dudley-400x285.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Another twig going into the nest.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8865-1-ron-dudley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13088\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/08\/black-billed-magpies-constructing-their-nest\/black-billed-magpie-8865-1-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8865-1-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,645\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"7.1","credit":"RON DUDLEY","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1362476493","copyright":"","focal_length":"500","iso":"500","shutter_speed":"0.0005","title":""}\" data-image-title=\"black billed magpie 8865-1 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8865-1-ron-dudley-300x215.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8865-1-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13088\" alt=\"black billed magpie 8865-1 ron dudley\" src=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8865-1-ron-dudley.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"645\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8865-1-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8865-1-ron-dudley-300x215.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8865-1-ron-dudley-150x107.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8865-1-ron-dudley-400x286.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>1\/2000, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>This is the obstacle course that the birds must negotiate with an awkward twig in their bill.\u00a0 The top of the nest dome\u00a0is the mass of matted nesting material on the right.\u00a0 An average nest is about 30″ high and 20″ wide but this particular nest is larger, probably because it has been used and added to for several years.<\/p>\n<p>Magpie nests are relatively complex structures.\u00a0 Overall design can vary but often, as in this case, they’re domed structures\u00a0made of sticks and twigs with an interior mud bowl lined with rootlets, grass and\u00a0mammal hair which provides excellent insulation for the incubating female.\u00a0 Here’s a <a href=\"http:\/\/corvidae.lifedesks.org\/node\/14\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>link<\/strong><\/span><\/a> to a photo of a magpie nest with the covering dome removed so the mud bowl can clearly be seen.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8485-ron-dudley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13069\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/08\/black-billed-magpies-constructing-their-nest\/black-billed-magpie-8485-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8485-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,627\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"7.1","credit":"RON DUDLEY","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1362389740","copyright":"","focal_length":"500","iso":"500","shutter_speed":"0.0004","title":""}\" data-image-title=\"black billed magpie 8485 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8485-ron-dudley-300x209.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8485-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13069\" alt=\"black billed magpie 8485 ron dudley\" src=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8485-ron-dudley.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"627\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8485-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8485-ron-dudley-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8485-ron-dudley-150x104.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8485-ron-dudley-400x278.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>1\/2500, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>When the twig they bring in has multiple branches the magpies really struggle to get it through the maze of greasewood twigs to the nest.\u00a0 I swear that these birds actually\u00a0plan their approach through the obstacle course from the nearby perch that they often use – which is what this bird seems to be doing.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8413-ron-dudley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13068\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/08\/black-billed-magpies-constructing-their-nest\/black-billed-magpie-8413-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8413-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,581\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"7.1","credit":"RON DUDLEY","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1362389126","copyright":"","focal_length":"500","iso":"500","shutter_speed":"0.0005","title":""}\" data-image-title=\"black billed magpie 8413 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8413-ron-dudley-300x193.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8413-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13068\" alt=\"black billed magpie 8413 ron dudley\" src=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8413-ron-dudley.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"581\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8413-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8413-ron-dudley-300x193.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8413-ron-dudley-150x96.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8413-ron-dudley-400x258.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>1\/2000, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>At times both birds arrive at the nest with twigs at the same time.\u00a0 The female is slightly smaller so I believe that’s her on the left.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8892-ron-dudley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13073\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/08\/black-billed-magpies-constructing-their-nest\/black-billed-magpie-8892-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8892-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,693\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"7.1","credit":"RON DUDLEY","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1362476518","copyright":"","focal_length":"500","iso":"500","shutter_speed":"0.000625","title":""}\" data-image-title=\"black billed magpie 8892 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8892-ron-dudley-300x231.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8892-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13073\" alt=\"black billed magpie 8892 ron dudley\" src=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8892-ron-dudley.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"693\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8892-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8892-ron-dudley-300x231.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8892-ron-dudley-150x115.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8892-ron-dudley-400x308.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>1\/1600, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>It can be quite comical to watch them struggle as the try to place the stick in precisely the “right” spot.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8613-ron-dudley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13071\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/08\/black-billed-magpies-constructing-their-nest\/black-billed-magpie-8613-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8613-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,532\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"6.3","credit":"RON DUDLEY","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1362469582","copyright":"","focal_length":"500","iso":"500","shutter_speed":"0.0005","title":""}\" data-image-title=\"black billed magpie 8613 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8613-ron-dudley-300x177.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8613-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13071\" alt=\"black billed magpie 8613 ron dudley\" src=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8613-ron-dudley.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8613-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8613-ron-dudley-300x177.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8613-ron-dudley-150x88.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8613-ron-dudley-400x236.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>1\/2000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>This bird was flying around at the base of the nest as it looked for appropriate building materials there.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8599-ron-dudley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13070\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/08\/black-billed-magpies-constructing-their-nest\/black-billed-magpie-8599-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8599-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,688\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"5.6","credit":"RON DUDLEY","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1362469486","copyright":"","focal_length":"500","iso":"640","shutter_speed":"0.0004","title":""}\" data-image-title=\"black billed magpie 8599 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8599-ron-dudley-300x229.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8599-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13070\" alt=\"black billed magpie 8599 ron dudley\" src=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8599-ron-dudley.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"688\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8599-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8599-ron-dudley-300x229.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8599-ron-dudley-150x114.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8599-ron-dudley-400x305.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>1\/2500, f\/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f\/4, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>The male contributes more to construction of the nest superstructure than the female but the female\u00a0builds most of the interior mud bowl and lining.\u00a0Right now mud is readily available due to melting snow.\u00a0\u00a0 This bird is\u00a0diving down from the nest, most likely\u00a0to look for mud for the nest cup.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8969-ron-dudley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13077\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/08\/black-billed-magpies-constructing-their-nest\/black-billed-magpie-8969-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8969-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,643\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"7.1","credit":"RON DUDLEY","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1362477343","copyright":"","focal_length":"500","iso":"500","shutter_speed":"0.000625","title":""}\" data-image-title=\"black billed magpie 8969 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8969-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8969-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13077\" alt=\"black billed magpie 8969 ron dudley\" src=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8969-ron-dudley.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8969-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8969-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8969-ron-dudley-150x107.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8969-ron-dudley-400x285.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>1\/1600, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Once the bird has a beak full of mud it will often pick up small bits of grass, tiny twigs or other vegetation to mix in with the mud before it flies in to the nest.\u00a0 Here the bird has the “proper” mixture and is looking up at the nest just prior to take-off.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8970-ron-dudley.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"13078\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/08\/black-billed-magpies-constructing-their-nest\/black-billed-magpie-8970-ron-dudley\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8970-ron-dudley.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"900,643\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"7.1","credit":"RON DUDLEY","camera":"Canon EOS 7D","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1362477343","copyright":"","focal_length":"500","iso":"500","shutter_speed":"0.000625","title":""}\" data-image-title=\"black billed magpie 8970 ron dudley\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8970-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8970-ron-dudley.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13078\" alt=\"black billed magpie 8970 ron dudley\" src=\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8970-ron-dudley.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8970-ron-dudley.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8970-ron-dudley-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8970-ron-dudley-150x107.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/black-billed-magpie-8970-ron-dudley-400x285.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>1\/1600, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>When the bird launched the angle to the sun was just right to really show off the iridescence.\u00a0 The head could be a tad sharper but I really like the curves and colors of the wing and tail.<\/p>\n<p>There is significant variation\u00a0in structural design of magpie nests from region to region.\u00a0 Research suggests that “cultural traditions” influence nest construction and that perhaps magpies imprint on their natal nests as a model for their own nest construction.<\/p>\n<p>I find that possibility fascinating.<\/p>\n<p>Ron<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This post is largely about behavior.\u00a0 The image\u00a0quality ranges\u00a0from good to mediocre but I think each photo contributes something to a better understanding of magpies. Black-billed Magpies begin nest-building as early as January and these particular birds have been at it for several weeks now.\u00a0 Actually, in this case it’s more a “remodel” than it is\u00a0“new construction” since this nest has been used for at least the last three years. All of these photos have been taken this week, which accounts for the relatively bright snow and ice background\u00a0in\u00a0some of the shots. 1\/2500, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, natural light One of the first things you may notice is the fact that sometimes these Black-billed Magpies don’t seem to\u00a0have black bills.\u00a0 Part of nest construction involves mud gathering and the drying mud on the bill can significantly alter the appearance of the bill. 1\/2500, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, natural light Both sexes contribute to nest construction and they’re quite industrious in their efforts.\u00a0 The size of the twigs they bring in is often impressive. 1\/4000, f\/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, natural light The nest is buried deep in a greasewood bush at about eye level for me.\u00a0 Typically a bird bringing in construction material will land on a nearby perch and look over the nest for a few moments – seeming to plan placement of the twig and an approach path through the myriad of vertical greasewood stems that present significant obstacles to proper placement of such an unwieldy…<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/08\/black-billed-magpies-constructing-their-nest\/\"><span>Continue reading<\/span><i class=\"crycon-right-dir\"><\/i><\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,334,363,391],"tags":[50,57,1309,574,1310,186,1308,228,1307,515,610],"class_list":["post-13065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bird-behaviors","category-birds","category-black-billed-magpies","category-nesting-and-mating","tag-behavior","tag-black-billed-magpie","tag-culture","tag-greasewood","tag-imprint","tag-iridescence","tag-mud","tag-nest","tag-nest-building","tag-nictitating-membrane","tag-pica-hudsonia"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1zzJh-3oJ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13065"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13065\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}