Wednesday 1 July 2015

Wild Bird Wednesday 153 - Magpie

This is the second of three Wild Bird Wednesday's that I need to organise before I head off for work related travel.   So, although the familiar blue button will appear at the bottom of the page - the posts themselves will be rather briefer than normal!

These birds are Magpies from the UK.  Many birds have this name, but this one is Pica pica - the only crow in the UK that is not basically back or grey.

These shots were taken last year on Hampstead Heath on the first day of a wonderful month back in the UK.  These distinct, clever and noisy birds were constant companions of mine as a kid and it was nice to see them again so soon after getting off the plane.





And now its your turn to join in - click on the blue button to link your blog to WBW - and while my visit may not be swift, I'll get to you in the end, even if you have been already waiting a week!

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35 comments:

  1. Nette Cecilia1 July 2015 at 03:08

    Its a very clever bird ,and not so easy to get on a photo ,have a nice day ,nette

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  2. Rohrerbot1 July 2015 at 03:10

    Magpies are very interesting. This looks like our Black-billed Magpie here in the US. Crazy how some of them look almost the same!

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  3. Silver Parrot1 July 2015 at 03:11

    Always a treat to see birds that I don't have locally. Love their black and white color scheme!

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  4. Sharon Wagner1 July 2015 at 03:11

    It's amazing how smart crows and related birds can be.

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  5. eileeninmd1 July 2015 at 03:11

    Hello Stewart, great captures of the Magpie. It does look similar to the Magpie in the US. Thanks for hosting, enjoy your week ahead!

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  6. GreenComotion1 July 2015 at 03:14

    Stewart,
    This is a cute bird - "cute as pie"!
    Nice photos!!
    Thanks for hosting and Have a Wonderful Day!
    Peace :)

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  7. Sylvia K1 July 2015 at 03:48

    Beautiful little bird and such great captures, Stewart, as always!! Hope your week is going well!! Enjoy!!

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  8. Anonymous1 July 2015 at 03:57

    Such pretty shots.

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  9. Hootin Anni1 July 2015 at 04:51

    Love the magpies!!!

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  10. Anonymous1 July 2015 at 05:04

    Great captures of this attractive bird.

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  11. Andrea @ From The Sol1 July 2015 at 05:10

    I saw my first Magpie about 5 years ago when I went to Colorado with my friend (I should say that I noticed my first Magpie because I have been to Colorado before, but with toddlers in hand, so missed a lot of what was around me). We so enjoyed their antics ... they may be like crows, but they are much more habituated to humans and dare to walk right up and snatch food from your plate. They are smart and clever and your pictures capture much of that personality. Hope you are having a safe, productive and definitely fun trip. Thank you for keeping the WBW alive and well in your absence.

    Andrea @ From The Sol

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  12. Brian King1 July 2015 at 08:06

    I've always thought they were very handsome! Nice shots!

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  13. Gayle1 July 2015 at 10:22

    Great Photos. First I've seen this Magpie.

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  14. Kenneth Cole Schneider1 July 2015 at 11:21

    They are quite similar to the Black-billed Magpies that I encountered during my recent travels in NW Canada. Handsome and adaptable birds!

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  15. Spare Parts and Pics1 July 2015 at 11:22

    I like those distinctive markings!

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  16. cedarmerefarm1 July 2015 at 11:39

    That's a very handsome bird, Stewart. Great shots. I can't wait to meet one.

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  17. diane b1 July 2015 at 12:18

    He looks like a our magpie but smaller and fatter.

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  18. Marilyn Kircus1 July 2015 at 14:41

    Thanks for a beautiful post.

    I think this is a slightly different species or subspecies of the black-billed magpie we have here. I just saw a family with 4 young, all adult sized but with short tails. They probably had only been out of the nest a few days. I love them also, even though they are predators on other birds because they are both smart and beautiful. And this is a bird I see often here in Montana but have not yet been able to photograph.

    I also enjoyed the yellow-billed magpie which only lives in the Sacramento Valley of California when I volunteered at Sacramento NWR.

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  19. jp@A Green Ridge1 July 2015 at 19:48

    A handsome bird, Stewart..."very well dressed"...:)JP

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  20. Unknown1 July 2015 at 20:47

    Lovely photos of this handsome bird!

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  21. Author R. Mac Wheeler1 July 2015 at 22:23

    Those are black birds with style, I tell ya. :)

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  22. photodoug1 July 2015 at 22:45

    Stewart, this fellow is styling. Thanks for sharing.

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  23. This N That2 July 2015 at 01:32

    Handsome bird..We don't have them around here to my knowledge...Nice photos...Safe travels

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  24. A Colorful World2 July 2015 at 03:54

    Lovely magpie! I didn't realize more than one kind of bird held that name.

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  25. NatureFootstep2 July 2015 at 04:44

    a bird I see every day as soon as I leave the house. Sometimes they also messes up my balcony. But I like them :)

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  26. Adam Tilt2 July 2015 at 07:21

    Despite their bad press I'm a bit of a Magpie fan. Enjoy your travels if possible.

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  27. Lee2 July 2015 at 12:09

    So different to our maggies here. I love our magpies...I have a few that hang around my place...they'd never attack me. They know I'm their mate! :)

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  28. Linda2 July 2015 at 14:07

    Neat looking bird!

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  29. Mary Howell Cromer2 July 2015 at 20:56

    Great shots and as often as we see them on our travels, it s kind of crazy that I do not get very many captures. These are splendid!

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  30. David M. Gascoigne,3 July 2015 at 09:01

    It's a wonderful species, noisy, enigmatic, brash. I will be in the UK in a little less than four weeks and I am looking forward to see them.

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  31. betty-NZ3 July 2015 at 19:16

    Our magpies are quite noisy, too, but there's something about them that makes me like to have them around.

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  32. Vineeta Yashsavi4 July 2015 at 19:12

    Beautiful bird...

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  33. DeniseinVA5 July 2015 at 10:46

    Magpies are so striking, great shots Stewart. Thank you so much for correcting me on my ID. I was excited when I realized I had seen a Jackdaw. Enjoy the rest of your weekend :)

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  34. Sallie (FullTime-Life)7 July 2015 at 05:43

    Handsome fellows! I see the blue tones .. Something we noticed in Alaska magpies but hadn't here in the lower 48. Something about the light I'm sure. Thanks for keeping things going while you are away!

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  35. Liz7 July 2015 at 11:59

    Fabulous images, Stewart!

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