Magpies

During my last trip to LOTW/Rainy I saw quite a few magpies.

Either my memory is terrible or I never paid enough attention, but in all of my trips (spring/fall/winter) over the last 18 years I don’t remember seeing them???

Out west they are as common as a crow in Minnesota……

I looked at a range map and the LOTW area is on the cusp of their summer range. Are they common in the summer and I just saw a bunch of fall stragglers?

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In flight

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Anytime I’m in the area between northome and baudette I seem to see quite a few. Pretty common up there imo.

I’ve never seen one in the Duluth area or up at our lake place near Virginia. I have noticed a distinct lack of any birds this summer. Hummingbirds were present but not in the numbers I used to see. There are reports out that song bird and other birds numbers have decreased by the billions recently. Don’t know if that’s accurate or what the cause is.

Charlie W wrote:

Anytime I’m in the area between northome and baudette I seem to see quite a few. Pretty common up there imo.

we are about 35-40 miles south of northhome and I don’t recall seeing any. sure wish we did though!!!!!!!

I want to catch one

I see them all the time deer hunting in NW MN. I think one would make a cool mount.
DT

deertracker wrote:

I see them all the time deer hunting in NW MN. I think one would make a cool mount.
DT

How do you know they are deer hunting?

They showed up about 10 maybe 15 years ago West of Baudete in the farming areas as far as Inl Falls and now are very common . Never see them in the forests

sticker wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>deertracker wrote:</div>
I see them all the time deer hunting in NW MN. I think one would make a cool mount.
DT

How do you know they are deer hunting?

They are always on the gut piles. Figured they were just bad hunters so I help them out…

I see them in late summer on the Ash river trail east of International Falls.

I’m always on the lookout for them in their area. Just saw some a few weeks ago.

I saw a Fair # of them on our fall fishing trip to Canada. I started seeing them around Grand Forks and saw them all the way into Skatchewan. They are really cool looking birds.

Lake of the Woods is about as far east as I ever get, but I see magpies all the way from along the Red River, where I live, to Lake of the Woods, increasing in numbers closer to the lake. They’re very common.