Take a look at this nest. In North America we'd figure it to be a squirrel's, but it's not. In fact, in Qiqihar I saw no squirrels. No, it's a magpie's nest. This bird is quite common in Qiqihar, at least on the university campus, and I was quite taken with its distinct call after I arrived a year ago. The magpie is a large black and white bird from the crow family. To me they're a fascinating bird, and as I understand, rather intelligent.
I had hoped to get a recording of the bird but never had my camera with me at the time. While on my interior trip, I did spot them in Shanxi Province, however. Here's a short video, yet still without that distinctive call of theirs.