Trivial, perhaps, because the sight of A Magpies building nests is commonplace throughout Canberra suburbs at the moment. The point here is the unusual plumage of this chap, which I have mentioned previously. This morning
it was gathering rootlets in a sandtrap at the 7th at Royal Narrabundah. Later it moved to the 16th and after some further collecting caroled up its mate (probably the female from the charcoal suffusion on the nape) which was left to
complete the job by carrying up the material to the nest, in a pine near the green. The unusual bird may be properly described as leucistic from the excessive amount of white plumage. The legs are also more grey than the usual blackish colour.
