{"id":82221,"date":"2021-03-25T05:59:50","date_gmt":"2021-03-25T11:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=82221"},"modified":"2024-07-17T03:58:07","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T08:58:07","slug":"black-billed-magpie-with-nesting-material","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/03\/25\/black-billed-magpie-with-nesting-material\/","title":{"rendered":"Black-billed Magpie With Nesting Material"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AdultAdult Black-billed Magpie with nesting material \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 500, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

It is Black-billed Magpie nesting season on Antelope Island State Park<\/span><\/a> and throughout their breeding range in western North America. On the island the magpies have been busy either creating new nests or refurbishing old nests since late January or early February. It can take 40 to 50 days or longer for the magpies to build a new nest. Most Black-billed Magpie nests have a dome over the main bowl of the nest to protect their young from aerial predators.<\/p>\n

Finding the magpies isn’t usually much of a challenge since they are large black and white birds that are abundant where I live. They are also quite noisy and while some people hate to hear them, I enjoy hearing their calls<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Black-billed Magpies are not easy birds to expose correctly because of the combination of bright white and black plumage. The blacks can block up easily if the exposure compensation is not set right and if I raise the exposure compensation too high the whites can be blown out.<\/p>\n

Yesterday morning while photographing a pair of Black-billed Magpies building a nest I was able to take a few images of the adult magpies flying in with nesting material. The problem I usually have is getting a nice clean background instead of the bright to white branches of the greasewood where they are building the nest behind or in front of the birds. The grasses and shrubs on the island have just begun to green up and I’d prefer to have them in the background rather than the winter and sun-bleached grasses and forbs that are found on the island during this part of the year.<\/p>\n

There have been times that I have written that one good bird can make my day. Yesterday it was one<\/em> good image.<\/p>\n

When I took this photo of the adult Black-billed Magpie flying into the nest with a small twig in its bill I liked what I saw on my camera’s LCD screen. When I viewed it at home on my large monitor I appreciated it even more. I have a nice clean background with just a hint of green spring grasses, eye contact with the magpie, and a lovely pose.<\/p>\n

Taking this one photo was the highlight of my day.<\/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":"

It is Black-billed Magpie nesting season on Antelope Island State Park and throughout their breeding range in western North America.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":130724,"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":[511,27,245,1022,26],"tags":[4004,1813,11978,4052,4122,6005,4842,11228,3976,4182,4450,4167,165],"class_list":["post-82221","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-black-billed-magpie","tag-desert-island","tag-flight","tag-flying","tag-magpie","tag-magpies","tag-muddy-bill","tag-nesting","tag-nesting-material","tag-nesting-season","tag-pica-hudsonia","tag-spring"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/black-billed-magpie-adult-nesting-mia-mcpherson-0608.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-lo9","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":82221,"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":7761,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/03\/05\/nesting-time-for-black-billed-magpies\/","url_meta":{"origin":82221,"position":1},"title":"Nesting time for Black-billed Magpies","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 5, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"There was a sharp, cold wind blowing from the north yesterday and before I was finished photographing these Black-billed Magpies my hands had gone numb.","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 lifting off from a bush with a twig, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/black-billed-magpie-nesting-mia-mcpherson-9082.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/black-billed-magpie-nesting-mia-mcpherson-9082.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Black-billed Magpie landing with nesting material, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-billed-magpie-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-2604.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-billed-magpie-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-2604.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-billed-magpie-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-2604.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/black-billed-magpie-nesting-material-mia-mcpherson-2604.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":82221,"position":3},"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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22, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"If I had not been paying attention to the first magpie's activity and behavior I would have missed the opportunity to photograph these birds and their nesting habits over the next several weeks.","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 landing with nesting material. 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