It’s been 50 days since I last blogged about the magpies nesting in our front may tree. What an interesting experience it has been, witnessing this pair of black-billed magpies build their nest just 20 feet from our front door. They built an elaborate domed nest over several weeks, which I describe in my first blog written on March 29. I had been stepping out our front door to take photos of the worst southeast Idaho winter we’ve had in over 30 years (ahem), and inadvertently also photographed the building of the nest. I was confounded by its discovery and my first impulse was to devise ways to run the magpies off, those noisy, smart, pesky, bully birds whom nobody seems fond of. My only previous history with magpies was to chase them off our property for the past 22 years and hold them to blame for the disappearance of baby songbirds.
But I was suddenly fascinated with them, and discovered lots of interesting facts and history about magpies, which I blogged about while watching and waiting for the pair to lay eggs. I wrote my last blog on April 16, when I was pretty sure the female was beginning to nest. Magpies mate for life and raise one brood per year. They typically lay 3-6 eggs, which hatch in 16-20 days. The male feeds the female throughout incubation. The babies fledge after 3-4 weeks.
The lucky thing was, I could view the nest from our front dining room window. And our kitchen window. And our upstairs bedroom and office windows. I found myself looking for them constantly, I’d hear a squawk and race to the window. I loved watching this pair. And taking photos and videos. It made me so happy to see them together.
Winter seemed like it would never end. We had another snow storm on April 21. I worried a bit about how the female would keep the eggs warm and the male would find enough food under a new blanket of snow to feed them both.
The nesting female would hop out of the nest and shake herself off, fly to a nearby tree or lawn to exercise her wings, but then head right back to the nest. Her long tail was a bit bent from roosting.
I’ve captured lots of photos and videos of the magpies. (Surprise, surprise)
Magpies in flight, magpies in our back garden.
To say I was obsessed with the magpies would be a gross understatement. One Sunday I came down with the blues. I had flats of annuals to plant but just couldn’t get myself motivated. But I knew the cure. The magpies saved me. Seeing both magpies hop out of the nest buoyed my spirits.
Of course, I’ve yet to plant the flowers in the gardens. I don’t want to miss anything with the magpies.
Both parents were feeding the babies now. Such a happy time. I captured a video of them canoodling on the roof across the street. So sweet!
I planted the flower pots on the deck on May 20. Three days later, on the evening of May 23rd, we got hammered with a huge rain/hail storm, dumping 1-3 inches of rain and hail over a couple of hours. I took a short video of the storm through our dining room window, capturing the edge of the may tree with the magpie nest.
The magpies survived in their domed and roofed nest. I wonder about the robins and other songbirds? Our flower pots were completely hammered.
I expected the babies to fledge around Memorial Day. The may tree had leafed out and the babies were very quiet. Although you could hear tiny sqawks when one of the parents arrived in the nest.
Yes, the magpies had survived the hail storm, but on Saturday morning, May 27, I heard a magpie squawking like mad in our front bushes by our fountain up next to the house. I opened the front door and it flew off. Huh. Maybe an intruder? David came to me later that afternoon. “I don’t know if you saw it, but there are magpie feathers scattered in an area by the front fountain.” What?? I ran out there. Sure enough. A scattering of feathers – a magpie had been killed. Did a cat get it? Magpies are relatively slow flyers. Was it an owl or hawk? Oh, surely it’s not one of our magpies! But how could it not be? Although we have seen other magpies around. I clung to the hope…please, please, let it not be one of ours!
That afternoon about 4 PM I spotted one of the parents feeding the babies. I quick! captured a video
Yes! Such a hopeful sign.
But that would be the last time. On Memorial Day, two days later, I found a dead baby magpie in the same spot where I had discovered its … father? mother? With only one parent it would have either died of hypothermia or starved to death. I took a photo of the dead baby. It had feathers and I bet it was about ready to fledge. I came in the house and told David. Do you want to see the photo of the dead baby? I asked. Why would I want to see that?? he said. I dunno. Dang it! I was so sad.
Two days later David was out digging up dandelions in our front yard and found another baby in the grass just 10 feet away from where I had seen the other one. Maybe the remaining magpie had kicked the babies out of the nest so they would die quickly and wouldn’t have to suffer starvation.
The nest was empty now and our whole place was quiet. I could hear magpies chattering in neighbors’ yards but honestly didn’t spot a one in our yard for several days.
Then this past Saturday, just two mornings ago, the most amazing thing happened. I’m a heavy sleeper in the early morning hours and I nearly always miss the chirping of the birds. But I was awakened by a huge racket in our front may tree. It was really something. I jumped up and scrambled to find a phone to take a video.But I needn’t have hurried. The racket in our front may tree, coming from what must have been about 20-30 magpies, went on for nearly 15 minutes. It was a funeral for our little family.
Which brings me to the topic of my next blog.
In the meantime, I hope to finally get our flowers and tomatoes planted. I’m sure they’re all rootbound as hell.
The Decompression of a Boomer 