![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/black-billed-magpie-nest-8047-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAnd Long-billed Curlews have now arrived in good numbers on Antelope Island.<\/p>\n
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Magpie nests are typically durable domed structures made of sticks with an interior mud cup or bowl lined with grass. This photo of a magpie nest on Antelope Island was taken (in poor light) later in the year after nesting season was over and all the leaves had fallen from the greasewood bush the nest was built in. Here we’re looking upward toward one of the entrances to the interior of the nest.<\/p>\n
Most construction takes place in the mornings with the male bringing in most of the larger sticks while the female contributes smaller sticks, the mud for the interior bowl and the grass lining. Well-constructed nests can take as long as three months to complete which explains why magpies may begin construction as early as January.<\/p>\n
I’ve often photographed magpies bringing nesting materials (sticks, mud and grass) to the nest but the actual gathering of the mud has always eluded my photography because they gather it from random, muddy places that are usually much too far away even for documentary photos. But recent rains have produced mud puddles all over the island and yesterday morning I got lucky with the mud-gathering process.<\/p>\n
None of my photos from yesterday were great shots but some of them are the best documentation of mud gathering I’ve been able to get to date.<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/black-billed-magpie-7352-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"black-billed-magpie-7352-ron-dudley\\"")
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There were several magpie nests under construction in the general area and many of the magpies I saw had muddy bills, including this one.<\/p>\n
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The puddle to the left in this photo seemed to be their primary source of mud. They would land next to it…<\/p>\n
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and then begin gathering mud, typically retrieving it from several locations near the puddle before they had a “full load”.<\/p>\n
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Individual loads might consist of pure mud or a mixture of mud and wet grass as we see here (like the adobe used in human construction a mixture of mud and vegetation dries to a stronger material than pure mud). I took many photos of the mud gathering process but I won’t include any more of them because these two illustrate the behavior as well as any. None of them are great shots but I was happy to finally document the behavior up close.<\/p>\n
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On an unrelated note I thought local readers in particular might be interested to know that Long-billed Curlews have finally arrived on the island.<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/long-billed-curlew-7195b-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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Every year I anxiously await their arrival but this year they seem to be just a little bit late. As I arrived on the island right at dawn yesterday curlews seemed to be almost everywhere based on their calls in the air and on the ground.<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/long-billed-curlew-7188-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"long-billed-curlew-7188-ron-dudley\\"")
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They’re still pretty skittish and mostly stay away from the roads so this mediocre shot was about the best I could manage but it does document their presence. Notice part of another curlew directly above the head of this bird.<\/p>\n
Curlews nest on the island in spring and soon after their youngsters fledge many of them feed along the causeway for weeks. As a photographer and bird lover I look forward to those opportunities. Hopefully I’ll be able to get better shots than this one which isn’t particularly sharp.<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n
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PS – I posted earlier than usual this morning and I’m not happy about it. Yesterday I used my large and very noisy air compressor (in my garage directly below my bedroom) to top of the air pressure in my camping trailer tires because I have to take it in for service today. Well that compressor has a slow air leak and I forgot to unplug it when I was finished yesterday so that monster fired up again at 2:55 this morning and damn near shook me out of bed. <\/em><\/p>\n By the time I got the compressor unplugged and everything else ship-shape (it’s a long story) I was wide awake and pissed off at myself so I’ve been up since 2:55. It’s going to be a long day. I think a nap (or two) is in order so I may be sporadic in responding to any comments..<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" And Long-billed Curlews have now arrived in good numbers on Antelope Island.<\/p>\n