teal tail feathers...

...on a magpie

who was playing cat and mouse... with several others in the field - swooping high and low... back and forth through the sky...

as they came to rest... i tucked in to snap off a few shots of them - a challenge as they decided to play the same game with me flying around me in a circle - touching down briefly and then taking off again before coming back... paying no nevermind to my conversation with them. they are very different than the average animal... the deer, duck, goose and squirrel who are very compliant with me - willing to converse and interact. birds have an independent mind... and these magpies had no inclination to pay attention to me or my beckoning of them... boo! during a final landing, i caught this guy - attempting to get as close as i could, he sensed my approach and as i went to snap, he gave me the evil eye...

so the picture isn't as clear a shot as i'd like it to be... however it shows off the full body and a glorious perspective of his full back with the wonderful teal color of tail feathers... combined with the black and white of his body - it's a marvelous expression of this particular species... i was left doing an ooh and an ahh - being pleased for...

a

happy day.....