Late last week (2/22) and throughout this week, I've noticed Black-billed Magpies carrying sticks and constructing a nest about 12-15 feet up a neighbor's pine tree (Centennial in Arapahoe County). Signs of spring. Beneath the nest, one finds a collection of discarded, dropped, or fallen sticks. I haven't collected them, though perhaps I will. They look to be about 3-6 inches long. It has me wondering if this is a normal part of magpie nest building or if I've got an inexperienced pair of nest builders. Today, the nest looked fairly complete, but who am I to judge -- spying on it, as I am, from the ground through branches.
A few years ago, I watched a Common Raven pair try to construct a nest in the huge power towers that run just west of deKoevend Park in Centennial. They couldn't get a single stick to stay in place. Ravens (probably that pair) found a satisfactory ledge at a nearby shopping center and have, for at least the past two springs, raised a family there. - Jared Del Rosso Centennial, CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/b6f99f71-de0c-485e-97a8-bf3fd39f910a%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
