Magpie Rising In Iridescent Splendor

Iridescence in Black-billed Magpies is fleeting but quite spectacular when you can catch the light just right.

Some of the magpies on Antelope Island have already begun early nesting activities. They’re hanging around nests used in previous years and beginning to refurbish some of them by adding new twigs. Mud to line the interior of the nests will come later (it was all frozen yesterday morning). These activities will slowly increase over the next few weeks.

 

1/3200, f/8, ISO 400, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in

I photographed this one yesterday morning as it took off from the top of one of the domed nests on the island. I was happy to get large amounts if iridescence in both the left wing and the tail and the position of the right wing was just about perfect to avoid blocking our view of either one. Good light on those photon-trapping deep blacks of the head and upper torso even gave me some detail there and excellent eye contact and a catch light topped it all off.

This time of year there’s no greenery on the bushes containing the nests so these settings are never very attractive. Large amounts of color in the magpie, on those relatively rare occasions when I can capture it, helps to compensate for that deficiency.

In my area magpie nest-building is one of the first tangible harbingers of spring and it really perked me up to finally see it. It’s been a very long winter and I’m damned tired of it.

Ron

PS – On previous occasions when I’ve posted magpie images with large amounts of iridescence I’ve been asked if I played around with colors or saturation during processing to get it. The answer is no, I don’t do that. All I’ve done with this photo is crop, adjust exposure slightly and sharpen.

 

29 Comments

  1. Ron,

    Beautiful.

    Stephen

  2. No magpies where I live in IN. Beautiful picture!

  3. Beautiful image, Ron. I love the wing pattern and how we can see each feather. We don’t have magpies out this way, so I’m jealous. They are a beautiful looking bird.

  4. Love those colors, really shines in that air.

  5. This is almost a perfect shot. I like the look on the bird’s face as well as the beautiful colors.

  6. I really enjoyed this fine capture! I think Utah has the largest count of these birds. I don’t see them in AZ. I think they are a gorgeous bird and their displays exciting. The Roadrunner comes to mind when I compare to your bird: pretty, aggressive and they eat all the small animals I love to photograph! While staying in PC I observed several of the Magpies badgering a Peregrine Falcon in the top of a tree.

    • Linda, I just looked at their range map (in Sibley) and it looks like they’re only found in extreme NE Arizona.

      And magpies will “badger” just about anything!

  7. Love the composition as well as the iridescence. Why are the pretty ones often such assholes? 😉 (Fortunately, I am neither.)

    Hope you got good news at the dentist yesterday!

    • You make a valid point about the “anal sphincters”, Marty.

      The news from the dentist was reasonably good. I’m good to go for now – just have to hope that the problem doesn’t return.

  8. I love the whole darn corvid family. I haven’t seen any around my new house in Kingman, AZ, so I might have to visit y’all to see them in the future. 😉 Just love magpies! They’re just COOL!

  9. BEAUTIFUL ! ! BEAUTIFUL! BEAUTIFUL! Love the pose, wing positions(esp. the “fingery” right wing), the stretch, iridescence, composition, silvery nest ..it’s just as wonderful as my favorite…the one I think youb have over your mantel…the flying magpie, carrying nesting material….

  10. That is really spectacular iridescence. It seems to me like it shows up on the right shoulder also. I think this is one of your better Magpie shots.

  11. Love Magpies! Good shot Ron!

  12. Gorgeous shot Ron!
    Charlotte

  13. A great photo of such a beautiful bird. Good shot, Ron, thanks.

  14. Gorgeous! The iridescence is beautiful as is the pose on the top of the nest even if they aren’t my favorite bird! 🙂

  15. Absolutely beautiful, Ron. Thanks so much.
    Elizabeth

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