This is a very special friend - Mumma Maggie. She is an excellent parent, but also insists on close personal contact with us. She loves to be hand fed, and always comes down to see what we're doing if we're in the backyard. I was trying out my new camera, and she was intrigued by the zoom lens, which must have looked like a beak to her - but it was moving in and out!!!
Our magpies are all the one species, but there are several 'tribes', depending on their colouring. Magpies in our area are black across their backs, while in some other areas they have white backs, or more white on their wings.