It isn't a question, so apologies if it's the wrong forum but didn't know where else I could post this really!
Spent 2 weeks in Cornwall at the beginning of the month (Sept). Had a fab time with mixed weather, but plenty of wildlife! (Some pics in the galleries).
My most surprising shot however was of a magpie! I had been wanting to capture a magpie for some time now. Although they are abundant, they aren't particularly easy to get close to (or at least the ones I see aren't!!)! I saw this one near Holywell Bay and stopped the group I was with to get a picture. I thought he'd caught a worm in the sand dunes, so was most surprised to see when I looked at the picture to see that it was in fact a lizard!! Was pleased to have caught the moment!
"All weeds are flowers, once you get to know them" (Eeyore)
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hi MarJus
Excellent shot
I never thought that Magpies would eat Lizards, but thinking about it is part of their diet as far as Corvids go. They are opportunists so why not another tasty morsel or too..
Great to see- well done for the capture.
Regards
Kathy and Dave
Hi Marjus!
yep, a great picture - magpies, like most other corvids, will eat pretty much anything they can fit in their beaks so lizards, amphibians and other morsels are all fair game.
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Hi MarJus - brilliant photo. Well done. A magpie regularly visits my garden but he / she is way too quick for me to "capture". Now the bird taunts me by making lots of noise while safely hidden in the undergrowth! Incidentally, when perched on the fence he / she also taunts next door's cat by leaving the long tail dangling. Cat begins stalk, gets to within a couple of feet, magpie flies away. Amuses me no end.
The necessity of bird-watching is a really good reason for avoiding all forms of housework.
The dust will still be there tomorrow - the birds may not be!
Very nice shot, not so nice for lizard! but great action. Just wish it was mine!
For viewing or photography right place right time is everything. I'd rather be in the right place with poor kit than have the best kit and be in the wrong place.
OOO tasty. Great photo
All I ask is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy. Spike Milligan
Great photo! It's also very educational for me, as our Australian magpies don't even belong to the Corvids!!! This is the first photo of a british magpie I've seen, and my, that tail just seems to go on forever! Actually, to my Australian eye, your blackbird look like a mixture of three of our birds - magpie, mudlark(pee wee) and willie wagtail. ☺☺☺
Smiles, Jan.
Hi Jan
I would love to see a picture of an Australian Magpie (that is if MarJus does not mind)
Love to see the differences in the species
OK, here are two shots of our resident male magpie.
The second one shows that the tail extends only a little bit past the wing tips. In the second shot it is also evident that he is in the process of moulting, which means that his markings are uneven, with more white visible on the right wing than normal.
Thank you for showing us
He is one handsome boy. He certainly has the chunky Crow shaped beak. The beak looks huge compared with the UK Magpie
Yes, I see what you mean about the tail being a lot shorter. I have never understood why the UK Magpies have evolved to have grown such long tails. Maybe it is their secret weapon to tease other birds
I would say that both Magpies are still as handsome as each other. {thumbs up}
Great photos Jan, very interesting to see the difference. The beak on your magpie looks much whiter as well. I googled the other birds to which you referred and see what you mean about the Willie Wagtail. That certainly does have a long tail.