{"id":35844,"date":"2016-02-19T05:36:23","date_gmt":"2016-02-19T12:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=35844"},"modified":"2025-08-07T12:58:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T17:58:14","slug":"time-for-the-black-billed-magpie-nest-building-ballet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/02\/19\/time-for-the-black-billed-magpie-nest-building-ballet\/","title":{"rendered":"Time For The Black-billed Magpie Nest Building Ballet"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AdultAdult Black-billed Magpie landing with nesting material – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 500, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Since mid-January I have seen Black-billed Magpies in the process of building their nests which is earlier than I have seen them start before. By keeping a respectful distance, using a long lens and utilizing a vehicle as a mobile blind it is possible to photograph Black-billed Magpies building their nests without disrupting the process or negatively impacting their natural behavior.<\/p>\n

I always enjoy photographing these black and white corvids even though they are a challenge to expose properly. I haven’t had many good opportunities to photograph the Black-billed Magpies nest building this year because of low light and cloudy skies but the forecast is calling for better weather so my chances of capturing more images of them should increase.<\/p>\n

I photographed this Black-billed Magpie in mid-February of last year on Antelope Island State Park as it was bringing a twig in to its nest.<\/p>\n

Black-billed Magpies are beautiful, intelligent and during the nest building process they can be as graceful as well trained dancers. I know I am looking forward to photographing and watching the Black-billed Magpie nest building ballet that occurs each spring.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

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

I know I am looking forward to photographing and watching the Black-billed Magpie nest building ballet that occurs each spring.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":151911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,27,245,1022,26],"tags":[4004,9075,1813,6585,4123,6005,4842,780,3976,4182,4167],"class_list":["post-35844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-black-billed-magpies","category-davis-county-utah","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-ballet","tag-black-billed-magpie","tag-bush","tag-landing","tag-magpie","tag-magpies","tag-nest-building","tag-nesting","tag-nesting-material","tag-pica-hudsonia"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-billed-magpie-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-2604.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-9k8","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":121645,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/02\/20\/black-billed-magpie-with-nesting-materials\/","url_meta":{"origin":35844,"position":0},"title":"Black-billed Magpie With Nesting Materials","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 20, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"It was my first full spring in Utah, nearly 14 years ago, when my keen eyes were used to find my first Black-billed Magpie nest on Antelope Island State Park.","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":"Black-billed Magpie in flight with nesting material for its nest, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/black-billed-magpie-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-7510.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/black-billed-magpie-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-7510.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/black-billed-magpie-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-7510.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/black-billed-magpie-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-7510.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":65764,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/02\/28\/ten-years-of-photographing-nesting-black-billed-magpies-at-the-same-nest\/","url_meta":{"origin":35844,"position":1},"title":"Ten Years Of Photographing Nesting Black-billed Magpies At The Same Nest","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 28, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I am more than thrilled to once again observe and photograph nesting Black-billed Magpies using the same greasewood where I first photographed them almost ten years ago.","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":"Adult Black-billed Magpie lifting off from a bush with nesting material, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, 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McPherson","date":"March 25, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"It is Black-billed Magpie nesting season on Antelope Island State Park and throughout their breeding range in western North America.","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":"Adult Black-billed Magpie with nesting material, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/black-billed-magpie-adult-nesting-mia-mcpherson-0608.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/black-billed-magpie-adult-nesting-mia-mcpherson-0608.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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