Colorado Photography of the American West

Interested in purchasing any of these prints? Click here to visit my gallery of fine art Colorado photography for sale.

20 January 2010

Black-Billed Magpie

A framed photo of a black-billed magpie resting on a dead branch in Rocky Mountain National Park.
The black-billed magpie is a member of the crow family and commonly found in the western half of North America. It is one of only four North American birds that the tail makes up half of the bird's length. The bird is black with white shoulders, a white belly, and iridescent dark wings and tail.

Any trip to Rocky Mountain National Park is highlighted with critters that like a free hand out. The black-billed magpie is one of these little thieves and you must be constantly wary or they will take a sandwich or cracker right out of your hand. It is strongly discouraged to feed these animals as cute as they are. When winter arrives and the crowds thin the poor little guys are left to fend for themselves and many starve to death. I never feed them but I do take advantage of their precocious nature and catch their pictures when they get close.





A black-billed magpie rests on a dead branch and inquisitively watches my progress hiking on a snow packed trail in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Magpie
A black-billed magpie rests on a dead branch and inquisitively watches my progress hiking on a snow packed trail in Rocky Mountain National Park.
click here for purchase information on this photo




A black silhouette of a black-billed magpie perched on a single branch and set on a background of a deep azure evening sky.

A framed photo of a black silhouette of a black-billed magpie perched on a single branch and set on a background of a deep azure evening sky.
Magpie Silhouette
A black silhouette of a black-billed magpie perched on a single branch and set on a background of a deep azure evening sky.
click here for purchase information on this photo


Etsy
Buy Handmade
JulieMagersSoulen

15 comments:

  1. I love the birds! They're so beautiful, and both these captures are wonderful. I love them both!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love them, too--especially the first one. The lines of the tree branches really draw me in.

    ReplyDelete
  3. How did you get that silhouette! My photography days are coming. :)

    A read your info on the magpie to my daughter and she said, "Awww... I would want to feed it." I guess a lot of people feel that way.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love that silhouette! They are both beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nice silhouette! I got an image of that bird stealing someone's cracker out of their hand and had a little chuckle :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Outstanding photography as always. You have an award awaiting you on my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, wow!!!! They are both stunning! I've never seen magpies but admire their photos! Lucky you - you live in paradise!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wanted to share, my four year old was sitting here when I looked that the pictures today, she thinks the bird is cute! LOL! I love the pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Really lovely bird pictures ! Great capture, this beautiful "models" don't use to pose too long...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Stunning! I adore magpies and that first image is truly spectacular.

    ReplyDelete
  11. oh you really seem like a beautiful person. Maybe I'll be like you sometime. I really like birds too, they're hard to catch and impossible to take photographs of. But obviously I'm wrong ;)

    küsslein

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you all for the wonderful comments. I am especially delighted that some of you are sharing my photos with your children and spending time discussing magpies. I'll continue to try and capture interesting and beautiful images for you to share.

    Cheers!
    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  13. What fun photos. I've never seen a Magpie before. Julie, the silhouette is stunning!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love them both, but the second one the best. Great capture, Julie!

    ReplyDelete
  15. You take the most beautiful bird pictures.

    ReplyDelete

Contemporary photography of the cities, landscapes, flora and fauna of the American West.
Julie Magers Soulen Photography