Surprise Visitor

Last Tuesday was a snowy day here in Fairbanks, and we got a couple of inches of snow. A bird we don't normally see in Fairbanks showed up on our deck. It was a Black-billed Magpie, which is common in more southerly portions of Alaska, but its range normally stops about 50 miles south of us.The Magpie is in the same family as Jays, Crows, and Ravens. They are easily identified by their black and white markings and long tail. With the snow the sky was overcast and the lighting was not very good for photographing a black bird.

After a bit of study from the top of the feeder, the sunflower chips seemed to be the seed of choice.

A quick hop down from the roof displayed the beautiful flight wings--and stirred up the snow a bit!

The tail was used for balance, and most of the time it was tucked up under the feeder.

Some time was spent on the deck enjoying the sunflower chips, then a takeoff back up to the feeder.

It will be interesting to see if this unexpected visitor makes its way back to our feeders again.