Sunday, July 8, 2012

Pic Of The Week: The Thieving Magpie



Friends, birders, countrymen, good day to you. As you read this I am birding up a storm at the Salton Sea, one of the worst and best places in all of California. It's a great place to die of overexposure and heat stroke, and a great place for birding too. Completely unrelated is this smiling juvenile Black-billed Magpie that was loitering at Mormon Row in Grand Teton National Park, WY, in August of last year.

13 comments:

  1. Well doesn't he just look like the cat that ate the canary. Not that Magpies eat canaries of course, but I wouldn't put it past them either...

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  2. DATE SHAKE! DATE SHAKE! DATE SHAKE! Such good date shakes at the Salton Sea.

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    1. I've only had one, and I was not impressed. Maybe next time...theyre hard to come by around the south end, where I usually go.

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  3. [hears Rossini] Mmmm... date shakes. Stay hydrated!

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  4. Looks like a young bird, I can still see some of the blue in the eyes.

    Bring home plenty of bird pictures from the Salton Sea. Someday I just have to go there.

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  5. Drink lots of water! Can't wait to see your Salton Sea birds! Love the magpie. I've never seen one!

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    1. I managed to only get dehydrated one out of the two days...not bad!

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  6. =) Quite the distinctive (no pun intended) odeur, chez-Salton. Trippy, cool place. And flat out weird.

    You stare at the dead fish dotting the "beach," gaze hazily at all the trash, inhale the stench, and think "Did I really drive out here for the natural beauty?"

    "Yes. Yes you did."

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    1. It really is beautiful, especially around sunrise and sunset. I would rank it pretty high on the list of places to be at sunset, actually.

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  7. Nice Magpie! Look forward to seeing your seabirds as well.

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    1. The saltonseabirds are coming...photo editing started tonight.

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  8. Ooh Mormon Row was good to me when I was there... except for a brief stand-off with a bison. Needless to say, he won.

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    1. Mormon Row was hot, windy and unpleasant when I was there. Magpie was the only piece of life.

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