Magpie Nest

[Grampa & Gramma]

We came home from California to find a magpie nest in one of the ornamental pear trees on our verge. Must have been hundreds of sticks, brought in one at a time. We know this because they are trying to rebuild it after I took it down yesterday, again, one stick at a time. We are going out periodically to chase them away. It gets to be real messy, so we hope they will build it somewhere else.
Inside they create a 6 inch ball of fuzzy stuff - maybe some grass and down feathers, with a sort of mud-cemented cup in the bottom (also fuzzy) to hold the eggs.
We have had them in the neighbor's tree by the garage two years ago and the nest shed sticks on the lawn for a year! Not good for the sidewalk!
Here are the pics:

[rusty]

I suppose its too cold for snakes, a python or something up there would take care of em!