Merganser Family Along the Poudre Susan E. Quinlan A gathering of magpies is

A gathering of magpies is poetically called a "mischief" of magpies

Photo by Bud Lehnhausen

I see flocks of them most often in fall after their young have fledged and always wonder what sort of mischief they are up to

Nuttall's Violets and Sand Lilies

like western

Merganser Family Along the Poudre Susan E. Quinlan A gathering of magpies isAny encounter with a single one of these fish eating ducks is a treat, but I immediately envisioned a painting when I had the good fortune in midsummer to observe a Common Merganser female leading her brood of ducklings along the edge of the Poudre River. On that same outing, I noticed a monarch butterfly visiting the nearby flowers of swamp milkweed. So I combined these sightings in memory of a particularly delightful summer day. Original: 15 x 30