Magpie | Tony's Takes Photography

The circle of life as coyotes and magpies feast on a bison carcass

February 6, 2022 by Tony Leave a Comment

Quite the scene yesterday and while the pictures aren’t very good, they tell a story of life, and death, in nature.

I had stopped to photograph a pair of bald eagles off in a distant tree and as I focused on them, movement below caught my attention. A bison had died and other creatures were taking full advantage of the meal.

The show was at least a quarter of a mile away so these images are rather poor quality and highly cropped but they are worth sharing. They depict a scene that is played out everywhere in nature every day and while it may not be pleasant to see, it is part of the proverbial circle of life.

The bison’s death, while sad, serves a purpose, giving a much-needed winter meal for many other creatures, helping to sustain them during the harshest of seasons on the Great Plains. The bison likely died of natural causes. Coyotes have been documented taking down calves, but a full grown bison like this would be too big of a target for them.

Coyotes dine on a bison carcass at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. (Tony's Takes) — Coyotes dine on a bison carcass at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. (Tony’s Takes)

Magpie scavenges a meal

June 5, 2021 by Tony Leave a Comment

Not a pretty scene and I know some might quickly click past this but it is an example of the so-called circle of life. Certainly the death of the deer is sad but in the end, its loss serves a purpose.

Coyotes had had their fill from the carcass earlier and once they were done, the magpies came in for a bite to eat. Kind of gross, kind of cool but that is life in the wild.

A magpie scavenges off of a deer carcass. (© Tony's Takes) — A magpie scavenges off of a deer carcass. (© Tony’s Takes)

Magpie catches a ride on a young buck

December 17, 2020 by Tony Leave a Comment

This poor guy looked like he was having a bit of a rough day.

One of his antlers was already broken off and then he had a magpie on his back. Kind of a fun shot though and it shows a common interaction between the two species.

Birds will oftentimes “catch a ride” on the back of ungulates like deer and bison. They aren’t being lazy though. In fact, they do this in a search for food, picking ticks and other bugs off the deer.

This benefits both species and is a symbiotic relationship. The birds get a meal while the deer gets itself rid of the insects that could cause discomfort and even infection.

Bald eagle finds itself under siege from magpies

December 15, 2020 by Tony Leave a Comment

A fun capture from a random encounter a couple of weeks ago.

I was coming home after running by the grocery store and saw two eagles hanging out in an area open space. That, of course, required investigation so I flipped a u-turn to check them out.

The pair was hanging out in a great blue heron rookery and, oddly enough, one was going and grabbing sticks and grasses to add to one of the nests. Here, the eagle lands on the ground, grabbing grass in its talons.

The magpies thought perhaps there might be a meal to be had and quickly swooped in on the eagle, something it did not appreciate one bit as you might imagine. It made some noise and soon flew back with its grass. The magpies were left disappointed. 😉

It should be noted that I have not seen the eagle pair at that spot since. I am sure them adding to a heron nest was just some play time or perhaps one trying to woo the other as a potential mate.

Magpie grabs some ice

December 9, 2020 by Tony Leave a Comment

Kind of an interesting behavioral shot of these common birds.

Walking a trail on a very cold morning recently, I saw this magpie pecking at the ground. I initially didn’t think much of it as they are scavengers and that in and of itself isn’t unusual.

However, as I got closer, the little black and white bird picked up a piece of ice and started hopping around with it. Not sure what sort of treasure it thought it had found but it did eventually fly off with it.

Perhaps it needed an ice cube for its whiskey?

“Do you have a death wish?”

January 3, 2020 by Tony Leave a Comment

A magpie snatches a little bit of a young bald eagle’s meal.

Taken a couple of weeks ago at Barr Lake State Park, Colorado State Parks. This young eagle had just caught itself a nice, feathery breakfast (perhaps a goose?). The easy meal did not go unnoticed by the magpie who sauntered right up and helped itself.

While clearly perturbed at the intrusion. the eagle let the little one have a bite without retribution.

“I will squash you like a bug, little Magpie!”

December 14, 2018 by Tony

“I will squash you like a bug, little Magpie!” 😀 This Bald Eagle didn’t really care too much for his roost-mate recently. A fun shot from a couple weeks ago at Cherry Creek State Park, Colorado.

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend – get out and see what you can find!

Turkey Vulture dines while Magpie hopes for leftovers

September 25, 2018 by Tony Leave a Comment

Kind of a fun picture I captured last week that was a very fun encounter. I was taking my daughter to ballet when we spotted a half dozen Turkey Vultures flying over and sitting in a vacant field. Thankfully I had my camera with me as usual so after I dropped her off, I returned and spent an hour photographing them.

They were splitting time between two rabbit carcasses, fending off the harassment of Magpies that wanted something to eat as well. I shot a ridiculous number of pictures of these guys as they were more than willing to let me get quite close while they focused on their meal.

Yes, I know Turkey Vultures are ugly but I think they are cool as heck. You will often spot them soaring high in the sky in large groups – appropriately called a ‘wake’ – looking for their next meal. They feed on carrion they find lying around dead like rabbits, prairie dogs and such and are believed to be able to smell the dead animals up to a mile away. Their role of garbage man helps to prevent the spread of disease from the carcasses.

Back off! This is MY breakfast!

December 6, 2016 by Tony Leave a Comment

This Red-tailed Hawk did not appreciate the two Magpies that were trying to steal its Prairie Dog meal. Certainly not a great picture as this happened way out in a field and I had to crop it considerably. Nevertheless, the interaction was fun to watch and the picture is a fun one. The hawk spread its wings and hovered over its meal alternating between taking bites and casting the evil eye toward the unwanted guests.

A Red-tailed Hawk guards his Prairie Dog kill against two intruding Magpies. (© Tony’s Takes)

You do realize I could squash you like a bug, right?

October 29, 2015 by Tony Leave a Comment

This Bald Eagle yesterday seemed a bit incredulous that a Magpie would dare to come so close. After work I was going to check out a rumored owl pair and decided to take the scenic route by a spot where I had previously seen eagles but up until now they were always too far off to get to. As luck would have it, the pair was in a stand of trees only about 20 yards from the road and they put on quite a show with numerous poses and two great flybys.

While I was there a very nice older gentleman that owns the property by which I was standing came out to see what I was taking pictures of. We chit-chatted for the longest time and when the eagles moved where I couldn’t see them, he let me go onto his property to get the angle I needed. Very kind of him. I’ll be printing some of the images I captured and drop them off for him.

Taken in Adams County, Colorado.

A Bald Eagle seems a bit annoyed at a nearby Magpie. (© Tony’s Takes)