{"id":104194,"date":"2022-07-13T04:54:59","date_gmt":"2022-07-13T10:54:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=104194"},"modified":"2022-07-13T04:54:59","modified_gmt":"2022-07-13T10:54:59","slug":"young-black-billed-magpie-in-a-serviceberry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/07\/13\/young-black-billed-magpie-in-a-serviceberry\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Black-billed Magpie In A Serviceberry"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"YoungYoung Black-billed Magpie perched among serviceberries \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Last Friday I found this Black-billed Magpie perched in a serviceberry shrub high in the mountains and stopped to take photos of the young bird. I was delighted to see the developing berries and most of all to have the color green in the background.<\/p>\n

This is the time of year when young Black-billed Magpies<\/span><\/a> form flocks and band together to make noise and learn about their world. Behind and below this single bird I could see at least fifty more immature magpies in the area. They were quite noisy and I enjoyed their calls.<\/p>\n

\"CallingCalling young Black-billed Magpie in a serviceberry shrub \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I kept my focus locked onto this young magpie as it called repeatedly from the berry laden perch it was on.<\/p>\n

This Black-billed Magpie has violet-blue eyes which indicate that it is a young magpie. The adults of this species have very dark brown to black eyes. The shorter tail, gaps in feathers on the face and the red coloring inside the bill of this young bird also indicate that it is not yet mature.<\/p>\n

\"ImmatureImmature Black-billed Magpie on a serviceberry in the mountains \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I was able to take a nice series of images of this young magpie perched in the serviceberry. When it lifted off from the shrub the bird turned its head and I didn’t have any<\/em> eye contact with it. I had been hoping for a great take off shot.<\/p>\n

I know that some people find Black-billed Magpies annoying but I love and appreciate these intelligent members of the corvid family.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Black-billed Magpie photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last Friday I found this Black-billed Magpie perched in a serviceberry shrub high in the mountains and stopped to take photos of the young bird.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":104185,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_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_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27,245,1731,26,773],"tags":[6523,6605,1813,4072,3940,3194,4141,5889,10132,7672,4067,4071,6005,4842,4069,4104,4167,7289,6698,6188,2315,6522,4193],"class_list":["post-104194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-black-billed-magpies","category-summit-county-utah","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-amelanchier-utahensis","tag-berries","tag-black-billed-magpie","tag-calling","tag-canyon","tag-corvids","tag-fledgling","tag-flowering-shrub","tag-fruiting-shrub","tag-fruits","tag-immature","tag-juvenile","tag-magpie","tag-magpies","tag-mountains","tag-perched","tag-pica-hudsonia","tag-serviceberries","tag-serviceberry","tag-shrub","tag-summer-3","tag-utah-serviceberry","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/black-billed-magpie-immature-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-4339.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-r6y","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":72014,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/07\/18\/black-billed-magpie-fledgling-perched-in-a-serviceberry\/","url_meta":{"origin":104194,"position":0},"title":"Black-billed Magpie Fledgling Perched In A Serviceberry","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I liked this image of one of the fledgling Black-billed Magpies I photographed because of the serviceberry perch, the great eye contact I had with the young bird and its pose.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fledgling Black-billed Magpie perched in a Utah Serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-billed-magpie-fledgling-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-4688.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-billed-magpie-fledgling-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-4688.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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"Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Immature Black-billed Magpie with an eye on the sky, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-billed-magpie-immature-close-up-mia-mcpherson-8034.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-billed-magpie-immature-close-up-mia-mcpherson-8034.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-billed-magpie-immature-close-up-mia-mcpherson-8034.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-billed-magpie-immature-close-up-mia-mcpherson-8034.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Right now on Antelope Island State Park teenaged birds are molting into their adult plumage including young Black-billed Magpies.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile Black-billed Magpie, Antelope Island State Park, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/black-billed-magpie-young-mia-mcpherson-5264.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/black-billed-magpie-young-mia-mcpherson-5264.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/black-billed-magpie-young-mia-mcpherson-5264.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 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have black eyes, the Black-billed Magpie juveniles have blue, gray or even violet eyes.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Portrait of a Black-billed Magpie juvenile. 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