Magpie Nest Building - Centennial (Arapahoe)

[Jared Del Rosso]

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