![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/black-billed-magpie-3286-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"black-billed-magpie-3286-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nEarly spring must be here.<\/p>\n
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1\/2500, f\/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Yesterday morning Black-billed Magpies were building and refurbishing nests which is always a fun but challenging time for me. There’s little if any spring growth yet so anything fresh and green is at a premium. Spring colors may still be nonexistent but spring behaviors are definitely beginning to pop.<\/p>\n I caught this magpie taking off with nesting material in its bill. I like the takeoff posture, the bird is sharp and my exposure on the difficult blacks and whites is pretty good. The wingtips aren’t sharp but I’m OK with that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/2000, f\/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n In the next shot in the burst the magpie hadn’t made much progress which I believe is an indication of the springiness of the twigs it had been perched on. They were so flexible the magpie didn’t gain much momentum from pushing off with its legs and feet.<\/p>\n In my view the primary weakness of this image in particular is the dark area directly behind the magpie’s black head which prevents the head and bill from standing out as well as they otherwise would have.<\/p>\n But\u00a0 I’m still happy to have both shots. After a long winter with few birds and even fewer interesting behaviors to photograph they give me hope.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Early spring must be here.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/black-billed-magpie-3287-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"black-billed-magpie-3287-ron-dudley\\"")
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