Getting a Magpie

Graham00

Graham00

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Graham Mc
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I wondered all you wildlife & Bird enthusiasts where and what type of area's are specific to get a shot of these wonderful birds ? i expect i'll need a longer lens than 200mm, in fact i'd be lucky to get a decent shot within 200mm.
 
We've got lots around our way, probably more common than you think. sticka 2x tc on to increase the range of your lens? Otherwise I guess it's putting out food for them, but again our way you'd probably have all the starlings eat it all first.
 
They're pretty common where I am. In fact during 2009 I thought there had been a population explosion, although that might simply be because I was getting out and about more. I'm in a suburban location with green belt land about half a mile away. I get magpies in the back garden and hanging around on nearby rooftops and the local country park has plenty of them lurking about. They do seem a bit cautious though, and a 400mm lens is probably the minimum to get anything worth keeping.

Here is an uncropped example from the nearby RSPB reserve, shot with my 50D at 540mm (100-400 + 1.4X teleconverter), and this guy was proving fairly tame. I know it could do with a crop but I wanted to show how much I filled the frame at 540mm....

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It's not a very good shot either. Lighting was tricky, with the bird in shade and bright backlighting coming through the branches, so I used fill flash. Focusing had to be manual and I don't think it's quite there :( Still, it's the closest shot of a magpie I've ever managed.
 
That's a lovely shot Tim, i've seen some out in the fens, saw 4 pairs one morning in a field, i thought about trying to find a secluded hedge somewhere to hide, but i suspect it means putting a lot of fruitless hours in to get one shot.
 
You're too kind :) It did take a bit of post processing to get it to look that good, but really it's still nothing great. I prefer more appealing light, which means some nice warm sunlight coming in from the side, either early morning or late afternoon. The trouble is, anything I've shot with nice lighting has proved really too small in the frame to be worth keeping.

Apart from nice light, the key to successful bird photography is usually to get as close as possible. The more you can fill the frame the better for your IQ. The less glass you need to facilitate that the easier it becomes. If you are dead keen on photographing magpies then I am sure a little stealth will pay off, and perhaps some nibbles to coax them within range. I'm not sure you need to become invisible, just sit quietly until they accept that you are no threat.

I know this isn't a magpie, but I shot this with a 7D and 100-400 at 400mm. I was sitting quietly in the car park of my local country park, near a feeding table, and I was out in the open but sitting calmly on a small collapsible stool. This is the full rame, no cropping, no edits. Focused distance was 2.65m, or a little under 9'. The birds can become quite trusting if you give them a chance.

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Good luck :)
 
Come along the A52 to West Bridgford in Nottinghamshire and then get yourself down to Holme Pierrepont near the watersports centre. There's dozens of them down there, and they're all big and beautiful!

I cycle down that way, and there's so many of them that when I salute them, I end up going "Good morning Mr Magpie.. Good morning Mrs Magpie.. Good morning Magpie Son & Daughter.. Good morning Grandma & Grandpa Magpie.. etc etc" and moving on to cousins and aunties and uncles.

Fortunately it's quite secluded, so no-one sees you babbling away. The whole area is good for wildlife photography, especially from March onwards.

The best 'walk' is probably from Blotts Country Club down Adbolton Lane (careful with the traffic - it's minimal, but there's no pavement - lots of walkers and cyclists though so drivers are aware). You continue on either past or through the Watersports Centre and then onto the towpath that runs along the Trent.

If you don't see any magpies within two hours of being down there, I'll personally deliver you my entire kit!!
 
We have them in our local park which is very busy with people. Because of this, the magpies, along with the rest of the birds and squirrels, are used to people being about and allow you to get much closer. Squirrels and robins can be fed direct from the hand, to give you an idea of how close.

Try your local parks, the busier, the better ;)
 
Thanks for all the tips :thumbs: my mum has a few tame blackbirds but they're not as interesting, i might get some seed and bread then and give it a go, as they're magpie's i could try a few gold rings and necklaces :D
 
Patience is the best weapon in the bird shooters armoury, sitting for an hour with nothing happening outside the hide is common. Just need to set yourself up, and yes 200mm is a bit short, if they frequent a place regularly set up the camera and fire it remotely by wireless from a 'safe (from the bird's point of view) ' distance.
 
i saw 4..2 pairs near a macdonalds...rubbish tip..in the heavy snow

they scavenge as well dont they
 
Lovely photo's there Mark, they're beautiful birds i think, a lot of people don't like them but i have an affection for them as i was a big Marillion fan and they featured in their songs and on album art :)
Are they part of the crow family ?
 
Graham00 said:
Lovely photo's there Mark, they're beautiful birds i think, a lot of people don't like them but i have an affection for them as i was a big Marillion fan and they featured in their songs and on album art :)
Are they part of the crow family ?
Click to expand...

Yep they're Corvids (Crows) and share the same intelligence too!

Being a smoker:nono: and having to have tea breaks outside I have gotton to learn alot about them. They have had the same nest by us for the last three years, which they are again rebuilding this year. They take food from the bin, eat bits of sarnies and stash food everywhere. Quite soon they are reasonably tame!
They have a darkside too watched them predate a family of Greenfinches last spring. All in all though can't fault them:thumbs:

(Note to self - get round to photographing the damn things:D)
 
Actually like all corvids a surprisingly difficult bird to photograph and you have to get the exposure spot on to bring out the best in them.
Like all wildlife photography, the longer the lens the better...Although it wouldn't be impossible to capture them at 200mm if you were in a hide or were lucky enough to come across a fairly tame one.

A couple of my favourite Magpie shots...

http://www.ajdixonphotography.co.uk/photo3932929.html#photo

http://www.ajdixonphotography.co.uk/photo4194778.html#photo

Anthony
 
Graham00 said:
Lovely photo's there Mark, they're beautiful birds i think, a lot of people don't like them but i have an affection for them as i was a big Marillion fan and they featured in their songs and on album art :)
Are they part of the crow family ?
Click to expand...

corvidae...our more gaudy cousin...we dont speak much
 
I popped down to the local RSPB reserve this morning, just to kill some time. Light was poor but I thought I'd try to grab a couple of magpie shots as they were hanging about. I made no effort to hide, but was standing in full view in the open. They light was flat and dreary, so the details have really not shone through well at all. Still, it's the best I could manage. The first was at 30m distance and is uncropped and the second was at 18m and is slightly cropped. Both were taken at 400mm, 1/640, f/6.3, 400 ISO.

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I like the idea of trying to get nice magpie shots. It would make a pleasant change from practicing on gulls and pigeons. Still, some proper daylight would be nice. This perpetual cloud cover is not making things easy. Perhaps we need a thread for magpie fans to post their best ;)
 
Lovely shots Tim, i went down to my nearest RSPB reserve is Freiston just past Boston in The Wash which is about 28m away, had a little walkaround and saw some concrete hide's, so when the weather's good i'll give that place a go. I'm not expecting to get a Magpie but it might be a good place to practise but i'm a bit limited with a 70-200mm, what's the best cheapest longer alternative without having a f2.8 (cos they're mega bucks !) cheers
 
They are difficult birds to capture well, I mean do you expose for the white or the black :lol:

Heres a couple I shot last weekend on the way back home from a bird shooting foray.

http://SPAM/c3whur/jan/Img_0982c.jpg

http://SPAM/c3whur/jan/Img_0983c.jpg
 
I'm surprised you'd have any trouble finding these birds, there seem to be loads of them around here and pretty well everywhere else. There seems to have been a huge explosion in their numbers since the demise of the old gamekeepers who used to strictly control their numbers. I can't say I'm a lover of them, but they can be an attractive bird to photograph.

They're quite a large bird so you should be able to manage without silly long glass. The biggest problem is exposure, it's all too easy to over-expose if you meter for the black bits and under-expose if you meter for the white bits, so it's difficult to retain detail; in both the black and the white areas.

This was at 400mm IIRC

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one i got a couple of years ago mk3 and 500f4.
Rob.
i was at the top of a bank as he flew past and landed :)
magwings1.jpg
 
cracking shot :thumbs: and if you move it up and down on the screen it looks like its wings are moving


GyRob said:
one i got a couple of years ago mk3 and 500f4.
Rob.
i was at the top of a bank as he flew past and landed :)
magwings1.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Fantastic photo, it does beggar the Monty Python saying "Beautiful Plummage" was this shot using continuous (CH) if Nikon ? you wouldn't mind binning 11+ shots to have that one, well done Rob :thumbs:
This is turning into quite a thread i must say :love:
 
Canon an it was set to 8fps .
Rob.
 
Wow! The bar has been well and truly raised. I was thinking about trying for some better magpie shots this afternoon. I don't think I'll bother. :)
 
Thanks everyone for displaying some great photo's, i'm now wondering how to fund a 120-400mm Sigma. going to need a lot of practise me thinks.
 
GyRob said:
one i got a couple of years ago mk3 and 500f4.
Rob.
i was at the top of a bank as he flew past and landed :)
magwings1.jpg
Click to expand...

One of the best bird shots I've ever seen. Don't like magpies but am loving that shot of one.
 
I like the way they appear as just black & white, i suspect the blue is hidden for camouflage reasons while stationary from predators, until in flight.
 
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