Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2017/11/13
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Very nice!? That dead branch makes a great prop. Jim Nichols Tullahoma, TN USA On 11/13/2017 7:48 AM, Doug Herr wrote: > The Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nutalli) is a large member of the crow > family that is endemic to California. Other magpies are found elsewhere > and the very similar Black-billed Magpie is widespread in North America... > I'll bet you can deduce what the primary difference between these two > species is. The Yellow-billed Magpie prefers the open oak woodlands in > sheltered valleys of California's Central Valley and adjacent foothills > but can also be found on lawns and in parks in the Central Valley's cities > and towns. > > This species is particularly susceptible to the West Nile virus and a 2005 > outbreak of this disease reduced the Yellow-billed Magpie population by > 50%. For a number of years following the outbreak there were no magpies > near my home but in the last few years the populations appear to have > recovered; my theory which I must emphasize has not been tested is that > among the birds present in 2005 there were varying degrees of resistance > to the virus and the more resistant individuals survived and re-populated > the Central Valley. Yellow-billed Magpies are again regular visitors to > my yard. > > For many years I've wanted to showcase the iridescence of its tail and > wing feathers. What do you think? > > http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/corvidae/pica/ybmagp05.html > > Doug Herr > Birdman of Sacramento > http://www.wildlightphoto.com > http://doug-herr.fineartamerica.com > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >