I've never seen a Magpie in the Highlands and have lived up here for 30 odd years. Are you sure it wasn't an Oyster Catcher or pale Hooded Crow both of which I've seen on the Longman.
Kind regards
Jenny
Definite magpie. I was waiting at the lights and the bird was on the verge only a few feet away. Having moved from Edinburgh where there are lots of magpies, I am certain about my ID
Hi Gerry I'll have to keep my eyes open on Saturday when I'm around there. I've seen them in East Moray so I suppose it was only a matter of time until they moved west.
Hello Gerry, I would certainly report it, as it seems a very rare thing for that area, or indeed anywhere near to Inverness!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Gerry, you might want to check out the BTO breeding distribution map for Magpies
blx1.bto.org/.../StoreServlet
Although they are very scarce or even non existent in the western Highlands there does seem to be a cluster around the Moray Firth area.
____________________________________________________________________
Tony
My Flickr Photostream
Hi
i saw a magpie today near Culloden and having come from Glasgow I know a magpie....I was surprised to see it...saw one in Findhorn last year...they are making their way up
There have been sightings of Magpies up here in Caithness, although I have not seen any myself, that is 120 miles north of Inverness!
I've lived in my current house for 33years and until a few months ago had never seen a magpie here until a few months ago when a couple first appeared in our garden 1mile from Inverness town centre. They seem to have a nest in a tree at the edge of the Culcabock golf course and there now seem to be young ones too.
Re my previous comments, 2 magpies appeared in my garden in Nairn about 6 weeks ago. They stayed around for a couple of weeks and then vanished again.