Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Birds - Magpie Page 10

Image Taken on 28 Sep 2025 at 08:52 Image of day on 20 Nov 2025

Magpies seem always to do this tail rasing as they land, presumably to counter the forward torque of their bodies still moving forward. Half a second later the tail is already back to 'normal'.

Ref: 20251120_d01_20250928_0852_184+185_fb6 magpie landing on meadow post (montage over 500ms)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 26 Nov 2024 at 13:25 Image of day on 31 Dec 2024

Touchdown!

Ref: 20241231_d01_20241126_1325_037_fb6 magpie landing on meadow post facing camera(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 19 Jul 2021 at 06:50 Image of day on 29 Aug 2021

A Magpie makes an early morning landing lit by the sun behind. We think that the brown feathers are backlit, while the white primaries are catching the sun directly.

Ref: 20210829_d01_20210719_0650_001_fb6 magpie landing on meadow post in cloud of midges with sunlight through feathers(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 14 Jun 2020 at 10:33 Image of day on 20 Jul 2020

We don't remember seeing a Magpie with prey in its claws before, but this one is streaked with fresh blood from some small bird (prey's claws pointing upwards).

Ref: 20200720_d01_20200614_1033_288_fb6 magpie landing on meadow post with blood stained prey in talons (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 17 Mar 2021 at 13:30 Image of day on 12 Apr 2021

Magpies are building several nests around the site

Ref: 20210412_d01_20210317_1330_101+102_fb6 magpie landing on meadow post with twig in beak (montage over 400ms)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 31 Mar 2024 at 14:47 Image of day on 26 Apr 2024

A Magpie stops off on the Meadow post with yet another twig. Read this right then left about half a second apart.

Ref: 20240426_d01_20240331_1447_010+009_fb6 magpie landing on meadow post with twig in beak (montage right then left 400ms)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 07 Jul 2016 at 11:42 Image of day on 26 Aug 2016

A magpie providing a good show of feathers as it lands on the kitchen window perch.

Ref: 20160826_e60_20160707_1142_004_fb3 magpie landing on perch rear view (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 07 Oct 2017 at 16:17 Image of day on 13 Nov 2017

The bird on the left is suggestive of a juvenile, but without any real evidence. The bird on the right is just about to land. We have no idea what followed.

Ref: 20171113_d36_20171007_1617_071_fb4 magpie landing on tree stump next to another (poss a juvenile)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 08 Apr 2017 at 09:53 Image of day on 24 May 2017

A Magpie landing on the tree-stump provides a detailed view of the black/grey edges to the flight feathers.

Ref: 20170524_d36_20170408_0953_045_fb4 magpie landing on tree stump showing black outlined primary feathers (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 22 Dec 2018 at 14:14 Image of day on 28 Jan 2019

A Magpie making a dynamic landing on the tree-stump.

Ref: 20190128_d36_20181222_1414_034_fb4 magpie landing on tree-stump(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 05 Nov 2025 at 07:44 Image of day on 27 Dec 2025

Next day this Magpie shows us how each primary flight feather is outlined in black and greys.
This form of camouflage seems to be called Dazzle or Disruptive Colouration and works amazingly well in the woodland canopy. Not so well on this tree-stump!

Ref: 20251227_e6c_20251105_0744_042_fb4 magpie landing on tree-stump showing pattern on each flight feather(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 20 Apr 2017 at 16:02 Image of day on 19 Jun 2017

Isn't Magpie plumage just wonderful? Primary (flight) feathers outlined in black and sharp white-black transition lined up diagonally across sequences of feathers

Ref: 20170619_e64_20170420_1602_015_fb2 magpie landing with wing feathers spread(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 30 May 2022 at 10:30 Image of day on 07 Jul 2022

A couple of Magpie landings.
The bird on the left seems to have some sort of food pellet in the beak.
If one of our neighbours tells us what it is we will insert the info here.

Ref: 20220707_d01_20220530_1030_008+_0846_003_fb6 2 magpie landings on meadow post one with food pellet in beak (montage over 2hrs)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 16 Jan 2024 at 03:21 Image of day on 06 Feb 2024

This Magpie spends about 7 minutes on and around the Meadow Post.

Ref: 20240206_d01_20240116_0321_056+1324_057+1324_058_fb6 magpie landings on meadow post over 7 minutes (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 30 Mar 2024 at 09:29 Image of day on 26 Apr 2024

An hour later - another twig.

Ref: 20240426_d01_20240330_0929_060_fb6 magpie lands of meadow post with twigs in beak(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 31 Jan 2022 at 13:37 Image of day on 27 Feb 2022

This immaculate Magpie stops off at the meadow post.

Ref: 20220227_d01_20220131_1337_026_fb6 magpie lands on meadow post(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 05 Aug 2023 at 15:28 Image of day on 25 Sep 2023

Ugh!
This it second of two pics of this Magpie landing on the Meadow post with a most disgusting set of claws in their beak. In the third pic in the sequence, taken a minute later, there is still a Magpie on the post but with empty beak.
What this foot belonged to, and what happened to it, is anybodies guess.

Ref: 20230925_d01_20230805_1528_122_fb6 magpie lands on meadow post holding large birds foot in beak 2 of 3 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 02 Jul 2022 at 08:13 Image of day on 21 Aug 2022

A Magpie carrying a somewhat unripe cherry. Most of our cherry trees make yellow cherries which we find have a slightly unpleasant aftertaste. Only the sprout of our deep red cherry tree is producing cherries this year - we must time our cropping carefully to be 'ripe enough' but before the Squirrels also find them 'ripe enough'.
The main cherry tree was damaged by the Oak tree that broke off last year in a storm and after cutting back has not got round to blossoming.

Ref: 20220821_d01_20220702_0813_234_fb6 magpie lands on meadow post with unripe cherry in beak(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 18 Oct 2025 at 14:39 Image of day on 09 Dec 2025

Humans tend to stay away from Wasps for fear of getting stung. But this Magpie seems to have made a point of picking one up before landing on the top of the Meadow Post.
1 minute later the Magpie was departing, presumably having eaten their prize.

Ref: 20251209_d01_20251018_1439_083+085_fb6 magpie lands on meadow post with wasp in tip of beak 1+3 of 3 (montage + insert)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 13 Jan 2025 at 13:36 Image of day on 15 Feb 2025

Another well judged landing ...

Ref: 20250215_e6c_20250113_1336_014_fb4 magpie lands on tree-stump & picks up corn while still balancing(r+mb id@768).jpg

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