ML619459581

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

MEGA and 1st eBird record for Monroe County (there are rumors of a previous Monroe County record from the 1940’s). Dave Brown initially detected a strange looking silhouetted bird flying directly towards the four of us at the Hawk platform from the north east. Its flight style was confusing to us, and reminiscent of the high flapping, stiffed wing flight style of a displaying Cooper’s Hawk. We initially thought it was possibly a raptor carrying prey, or some type of nesting material since there was a long projection behind the bird. When the bird turned and flew perpendicular to us, we realized the projection behind the bird was actually a very long black tail. Then the sun highlighted the white belly and large white wing flashes on a black bird, and I instantly called out “Black-billed Magpie!” We followed the magpie as it flew west and then dropped down onto the barrier island. The Red-winged Blackbirds started harassing it, and eventually it took flight heading further west over the west spit, and then south where it landed at the top of a tree on Eagle Island. Fairly quickly, it moved to a second tree where it perched again. Then, it took flight and headed south in the direction of Burger Park, where it slowly dropped down out of sight and appeared as if it was going to land again. I have two horrible quality, extremely cropped, but diagnostic documentation photos. Dave Brown has other photos. This Black-billed Magpie is either a continuation of a small incursion of this species into the Great Lakes region this year, or it is one of the birds reported earlier this spring (the closest being a single-observer observation to the east in Wayne County on 3/27/24).

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS R5

ISO

160

Focal length

700 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/10.0

Shutter speed

1/640 sec

Dimensions

585 pixels x 390 pixels

Original file size

14.33 KB