{"id":67123,"date":"2020-03-17T05:38:08","date_gmt":"2020-03-17T11:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=67123"},"modified":"2025-08-07T13:44:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T18:44:07","slug":"mating-bald-eagles-at-east-canyon-reservoir-plus-a-black-billed-magpie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/03\/17\/mating-bald-eagles-at-east-canyon-reservoir-plus-a-black-billed-magpie\/","title":{"rendered":"Mating Bald Eagles At East Canyon Reservoir Plus A Black-billed Magpie"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BaldBald Eagle pair mating on East Canyon Reservoir – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2500, ISO 500, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

I was up in the Wasatch Mountains yesterday and although I heard quite a few birds it wasn’t easy finding any that were close enough to photograph. Once again though my keen vision “saved” my day when I spotted a pair of Bald Eagles and a Black-billed Magpie on the ice of the reservoir at East Canyon State Park<\/span><\/a>. If I hadn’t found them I would have come home without any keeper bird images.<\/p>\n

At first the pair of Bald Eagles seemed to be feeding on something small out on the ice and a few times Black-billed Magpies flew in close to where the eagles stood on the quickly thawing ice.<\/p>\n

Then without any real courtship behavior at all the male Bald Eagle mounted the female and they mated as I photographed them and as the magpie stood nearby.<\/p>\n

\"MatingMating Bald Eagles on ice with a Black-billed Magpie nearby – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2500, ISO 500, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

I took eighty-four images of the Bald Eagle pair mating on the frozen reservoir and the entire time the magpie stood on the ice close to them.<\/p>\n

I have photographed mating Bald Eagles only one time before and that was on the mudflats of the Great Salt Lake from the causeway to Antelope Island. Those photos were nowhere near the quality that these are because of bad light.<\/p>\n

I wish I had been a little closer to this mating pair and had been at a lower perspective but I am glad that I was able to photograph them at all.<\/p>\n

\"BaldBald Eagle pair after mating in Morgan County – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2500, ISO 500, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

When the pair of Bald Eagles were finished mating one of them gave one call and then they simply stood on the ice. I don’t recall when the Black-billed Magpie finally flew away but it appeared in every image of the eagles mating. I guess I could have cropped the magpie out but I decided not to because it was there when all of the activity was occurring.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good and full of wonderful surprises if you look for them. And I do.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

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

I took eighty-four images of the Bald Eagle pair mating on the frozen reservoir and the entire time the magpie stood on the ice close to them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":151914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_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":""},"categories":[151,27,245,6874,4594,26,773],"tags":[4004,846,2663,1813,4030,9355,3903,3133,6926,4152,4064,6005,4842,4363,7025,2139,4167,9356,373],"class_list":["post-67123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bald-eagle","category-avian","category-black-billed-magpies","category-east-canyon-state-park","category-morgan-county","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-adult","tag-bald-eagle","tag-birds-of-prey","tag-black-billed-magpie","tag-breeding","tag-breeding-pair","tag-eagle","tag-eagles","tag-frozen","tag-haliaeetus-leucocephalus","tag-ice","tag-magpie","tag-magpies","tag-mating","tag-mating-season","tag-pair","tag-pica-hudsonia","tag-reservoir","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/bald-eagles-mating-magpie-nearby-mia-mcpherson-8463.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-hsD","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":104194,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/07\/13\/young-black-billed-magpie-in-a-serviceberry\/","url_meta":{"origin":67123,"position":0},"title":"Young Black-billed Magpie In A Serviceberry","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"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.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Calling young Black-billed Magpie in a serviceberry shrub, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/black-billed-magpie-immature-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-4339.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/black-billed-magpie-immature-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-4339.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/black-billed-magpie-immature-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-4339.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/black-billed-magpie-immature-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-4339.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15131,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/06\/03\/bald-eagle-lift-off\/","url_meta":{"origin":67123,"position":1},"title":"Bald Eagle lift off","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 3, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"While in southwestern Montana last week I did see several Bald Eagles and this adult was most obliging as it perched on a conifer in the light of the rising sun.","rel":"","context":"In "Bald Eagles"","block_context":{"text":"Bald Eagles","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/diurnal-raptors\/bald-eagle\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bald Eagle lift off, Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/bald-eagle-flight-mia-mcpherson-1531.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/bald-eagle-flight-mia-mcpherson-1531.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/bald-eagle-flight-mia-mcpherson-1531.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/bald-eagle-flight-mia-mcpherson-1531.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":59404,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/08\/09\/immature-black-billed-magpies-flocking-in-the-wasatch-mountains\/","url_meta":{"origin":67123,"position":2},"title":"Immature Black-billed Magpies Flocking In The Wasatch Mountains","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I was delighted to photograph the few immature Black-billed Magpies that were close to me and to observe those who were further away foraging and chasing each other around in a field dotted with wildflowers, grasses and sage.","rel":"","context":"In "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 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":109015,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/12\/31\/my-2022-year-in-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":67123,"position":3},"title":"My 2022 Year In Review","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 31, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"On this last day of the year it is time for my annual 2022 Year in Review post. In some ways 2022 has been great for me and in others not so good.","rel":"","context":"In "American Kestrels"","block_context":{"text":"American Kestrels","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/falcons\/american-kestrel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Horned Grebe plus weird reflection, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/horned-grebe-weird-reflection-mia-mcpherson-6170.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/horned-grebe-weird-reflection-mia-mcpherson-6170.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/horned-grebe-weird-reflection-mia-mcpherson-6170.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/horned-grebe-weird-reflection-mia-mcpherson-6170.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":72014,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/07\/18\/black-billed-magpie-fledgling-perched-in-a-serviceberry\/","url_meta":{"origin":67123,"position":4},"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, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-billed-magpie-fledgling-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-4688.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/black-billed-magpie-fledgling-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-4688.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":171624,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2026\/03\/09\/bald-eagles-mating-in-a-fog-at-sequoyah-national-wildlife-refuge\/","url_meta":{"origin":67123,"position":5},"title":"Bald Eagles Mating In A Fog At Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday was super foggy at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, but that didn't stop me from videoing mating Bald Eagles on a snag in the fog.","rel":"","context":"In "Bald Eagles"","block_context":{"text":"Bald Eagles","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/diurnal-raptors\/bald-eagle\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Bald Eagle in fog at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bald-eagle-male-snag-in-fog-mia-mcpherson-9914.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bald-eagle-male-snag-in-fog-mia-mcpherson-9914.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bald-eagle-male-snag-in-fog-mia-mcpherson-9914.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bald-eagle-male-snag-in-fog-mia-mcpherson-9914.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}