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Majestic Magpie Morning

The beauty of the simple things in life is everywhere around us. We just had a fresh coat of snow this morning in Red Lodge, Montana. Mother Nature had the following surprise for me as I was driving to work this morning.

Magpie - 1 of 4

Between the powder snow covered branches of a tree, lied a black-billed magpie looking majectic with it's very long tail feathers. I was lucky enough to stop my car and admire it for an entire minute (no traffic whatsoever to worry about on the unpaved road I was on).

Displaying one of the common traits of a blogger, I was carrying my camera with me (you can check out all the traits at Top 10 Ways You Know You're a Blogger If..., a featured post written by fellow Montanans: Kevin and Monica Ray of Missoula). I am happy that I captured this moment to share it with you online.

Magpie - 2 of 4 Magpie - 3 of 4 Magpie - 4 of 4

The following is a description of the magpies taken from the website of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: "Magpies, like orcas and pandas, are marked by highly contrasting colors. White belly and wing patches are set off by black to deep irridescent green on the chest, head, back and tail. The tail is long, equalling half the body length."

If you enjoy nature and the simple things in life, I also recommend that you check Dear Diary: My passion is the simple joy of being, a great post written by Mary Douglas of Red Feather Lakes, CO.

My motto in life is to live, love and laugh. Carpe diem .

All photos and/or written content produced by Gerry Khatchikian. All rights reserved and may not be reproduced or reprinted without express written permission of Gerry Khatchikian, Realtor Associate.

If you and your family are interested to buy or sell property (a home, a ranch, a vacant land or a commercial property) in Carbon County (Red Lodge, Bearcreek, Belfry, Boyd, Bridger, Edgard, Fox, Fromberg, Joliet, Luther, Roberts, Rockvale, Roscoe, Silesia, Warren, Washoe), please don't hesitate to contact me. I also serve Stillwater County (Nye, Absarokee, Columbus, Fishtail).

Phone: 406.425.3457

Email: Gerry_Khatchikian@yahoo.com

Posted by Gerry Khatchikian, ASA, TRC, SFR on 02/26/2009 06:24 PM

Comments (31)

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red lodge, montana, simple things, magpie, blogger, majectic magpie morning, mother nature, simple joy of being, live love laugh, carpe diem

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31 Comments on Majestic Magpie Morning

FEB

2009

... beautifully written post Gerry ! .... and stunning pictures of that little guy !!!

We get magpies in England a lot too, and they are such attractive chaps !!! ... they look like they have permanent tuxes on :o)

Cheers !

Sheldon :o)

How beautiful! Thank you for sharing this.

Hi Gerry, That is a beautiful shot! I always like it when the snow sticks on the branches, it really looks like a winter wonderland.

The black and white of the bird and the snow is just spectacular!

Thank you for sharing these, and for the shout out Gerry!

Sheldon,

That little guy made the beginning of my day very interesting and inspired me to write this post!

Thanks for being so quick to comment. You never seem to amaze me! I am looking forward to your next post which should get you over 40,000 points.

Li,

You are welcome.

Aloha Gary,

Amazing photo thanks for sharing. The frost covered branches and the contrast of the black plumage is beautiful.

Peace,

Mary,

It was a wonderful winter wonderland this morning. With all that white, it was hard not to miss seing the Magpie when he appeared along my route. I am glad he decided to perch on a tree long enough to let me take a few photgraphs of him. You are welcome.

Aloha Kimo,

Mahalo for your nice comments.

A beautiful photo. Great contrast between the snowy bush and Mr Magpie!

Cindy,

Thanks. I believe it is the contrast that makes this photo beautiful.

Just wanted to say "Thank You" for sharing such a beautiful image with me...it put a BIG smile on my face! This isn't something I get to see in my day to day travels here in Florida!

Sarah,

You are welcome and thank you for visiting this post. Feel free to check out my other photos in my blog as well as the photos I have posted on Localism.

http://localism.com/mt/red_lodge

That is a gorgeous bird -- thanks for sharing.

Bob and Carolin,

You are welcome.

Gerry, Wonderful photos and interesting post!

Debi

Gorgeous Photos! Thanks for this great post! Wish I could see it in person!

Hi Gerry!
How observant you are to have seen that little tweeter! It's a wonderfully serene picture! Thanks!

Paula

Wow Jerry! That photo took my breath away! It's absolutely gorgeous! Here in Austin, we don't get snowy scenes like that. Almost wish I lived there...As I'm viewing your post's wintry landscape, my AC is running to cool the house down. Thanks for sharing such beauty.

Debi,

Thank you for the positive comments.

Paula,

I am observant person but in this case, I think the tweeter made sure I saw him and observed him. It was a white and serene morning.

Lydia,

You got your AC running as I got my pellet stove running. Thank you for all the positive comments. It is going to encourage me to do more posts to the beauty of Mother Nature in a nd around Red Lodge. You are welcome to come visit any time. We hardly use the AC in the summer as on average (based on historical data), we only get about 4 days a year wiith above 90F/32C temperature.

FEB

2009

Hi Gerry,

Your pictures are the best. I look forward to your blog daily. If I had a reason to relocate, I think I would be looking your way. You truly show and tell well!

Cindy,

Your comments brings warmth to my day. I am not used to having a post on a daily basis but I might have caught the blogging bug this past week. You should at least consider coming to Red Lodge, Montana on a vacation trip. It it has the same effect on you than it had on me, it is after the third vacation trip that you will look into relocating. Your comments are encouraging me to do more show and tells. Thank you for making my day!

Gerry, Thanks for directing me to your photos! Breathtaking! How fortunate you are to live in such a magical place!

Amy,

I am grateful and indeed fortunate. I loved living where I live. I am happy to be able to share the beauty and magic of my surroundings thanks to technology.

Gerry - thanks for the link and the beautiful pictures of your part of the state - amazing! :)

Kevin & Monica,

You are welcome! I am glad you enjoyed the pictures.

FEB

2009

Gerry - the first photo is gorgeous! It's almost like having a color photo in black and white.

Thanks, too, for the link to "You know you're a blogger if ...l"

MAR

2009

Sharon,

You are welcome. I agree that the photo is as close to black and white as it can get for an untouched color photo. Thanks for commenting.

MAR

2009

I LOVE Magpies! We don't have many of them in the city, but we had lots of them in the mountains. For now the ravens, grackles and crows have to satiate my appetite for irridescent birds! They have taken over my backyard to the point my 15 lb. cats cry to come inside! The snowy branches are gorgeous...

Cheryl,

I am surprised the cats are not looking at going after all the birds in the backyard. I guess they are wanting to come inside because they are outnumbered and are afraid at the idea of an orchestrated airial attack. I am glad you liked the snowy branches. They lasted less than half a day as the sun came out later that day and melted the snow.

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Gerry Khatchikian, ASA, TRC, SFR

Red Lodge, MT

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