Loggerhead Shrike Devouring An Impaled Vole
Loggerhead Shrikes are often called “butcher birds” and this one demonstrated for me how that moniker was earned.
Tag: lanius ludovicianus
Shrike Take-off Against A Smoky Background (plus an Antelope Island raptor report)
Birds were generally slow on Antelope Island yesterday morning but this Loggerhead Shrike saved the day.
Loggerhead Shrike In Two Interesting Poses
There were many interesting bird and large mammal photo subjects on Antelope Island yesterday morning but in my mind this Loggerhead Shrike stood out.
Loggerhead Shrike On Winter Rabbitbrush
I finally photographed another Loggerhead Shrike in a nice setting this morning. It’s been a while.
Loggerhead Shrike In Full Flight
It isn’t often that I get a full-flight shot of a songbird but I did yesterday morning, thanks in part to Lady Luck who sat on my shoulder twice.
The Shrike And The Grasshopper (and noticing the “little things”)
I make every effort in the field to “read” the behavior of my avian subjects. Sometimes I’m right and sometimes I’m not but either way it’s a learning experience for me and my percentage of accuracy does seem to be improving. One of the payoffs can be better bird photographs for a variety of reasons.
Shrike Sneak-attack On A Red-tailed Hawk
Believe it or not it was at that moment that a Loggerhead Shrike with a chip on its shoulder swooped in out of nowhere to harass the hawk. Because I was ready for it I was able to get two shots with both birds in the frame. In this first one I don’t believe the hawk yet knows the shrike is there.
Loggerhead Shrikes “Mate Feeding”
Five days ago I posted a series of images of a male Loggerhead Shrike feeding his mate (a ritual that is part of the pair bond between mated birds) and at the time I mentioned that I had photographed the same behavior the day before from the same birds. This is that sequence of images.
Male Loggerhead Shrike Feeding His Mate
Male Loggerhead Shrikes feed their mates beginning with the formation of pair bonds in early spring and such behavior continues throughout the incubation and nestling periods.
How The Loggerhead Shrike Got Its Name
Loggerhead Shrikes have several distinguishing characteristics including a mean-looking hooked beak and a black facial mask but it’s their very large head that gave them their common name.
A Twice-anomalous Loggerhead Shrike
There are two interesting things about this Loggerhead Shrike that I thought were worth a closer look.
A Mated Pair Of Loggerhead Shrikes
I have very few images of mated pairs of songbirds that I like. This second shot from yesterday is one of them.
Birds “Wearing To Dark” – Some Visual Evidence As To Why
This past summer I posted these first two Loggerhead Shrike images as evidence that the ventral colors of the species change from white to almost black as the summer wears on and asked my readers why this occurs. Several responded with a logical explanation.
Three days ago I photographed a Horned Lark that may demonstrate that those readers were right.
Loggerhead Shrikes – A Color Change I Don’t Understand
I’m confused about a color change I’m seeing in Loggerhead Shrikes. 1600, f/7.1, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, image taken 4/26/13 on Antelope Island For most of the year the adults I see have a white or pale ventral surface (belly, breast and sides) which is exactly as described in the field guides and other resources I have access to. 2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, natural light, image taken 7/3/13 on Antelope Island But beginning in about early July there’s a fairly dramatic change that is not addressed in my field guides. That white plumage turns significantly darker and an almost black area on the upper breast appears. This is about the time they’re fledging chicks around here and when I first noticed this several years ago I wondered if the birds were simply becoming “dirty” as they scurried around trying to feed and care for those very demanding youngsters. But now I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. All of the adult Loggerhead Shrikes I see go through this change to some degree or another. 3200, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, image taken 7/14/13 on Antelope Island Here’s another (pretty silly looking) example. This is also the time of year when these birds are molting so I wondered if I was somehow seeing black skin (some birds do have black skin) through very skimpy plumage that time of year and I was somehow mistaking it for black feathers. But as you can see in this preening, molting adult, their skin…
Enveloped By Shrikes!
These young birds loved clamoring around on the hood of my pickup. They would look at their reflections, pick at smashed bugs and just generally act like inquisitive kids. It wasn’t unusual to hear a bird clicking about on my roof at the same time one of its siblings was on my hood.
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Shrike Take-off Against A Smoky Background (plus an Antelope Island raptor report)
Birds were generally slow on Antelope Island yesterday morning but this Loggerhead Shrike saved the day.
Loggerhead Shrike In Two Interesting Poses
There were many interesting bird and large mammal photo subjects on Antelope Island yesterday morning but in my mind this Loggerhead Shrike stood out.
Loggerhead Shrike On Winter Rabbitbrush
I finally photographed another Loggerhead Shrike in a nice setting this morning. It’s been a while.
Loggerhead Shrike In Full Flight
It isn’t often that I get a full-flight shot of a songbird but I did yesterday morning, thanks in part to Lady Luck who sat on my shoulder twice.
The Shrike And The Grasshopper (and noticing the “little things”)
I make every effort in the field to “read” the behavior of my avian subjects. Sometimes I’m right and sometimes I’m not but either way it’s a learning experience for me and my percentage of accuracy does seem to be improving. One of the payoffs can be better bird photographs for a variety of reasons.
Shrike Sneak-attack On A Red-tailed Hawk
Believe it or not it was at that moment that a Loggerhead Shrike with a chip on its shoulder swooped in out of nowhere to harass the hawk. Because I was ready for it I was able to get two shots with both birds in the frame. In this first one I don’t believe the hawk yet knows the shrike is there.
Loggerhead Shrikes “Mate Feeding”
Five days ago I posted a series of images of a male Loggerhead Shrike feeding his mate (a ritual that is part of the pair bond between mated birds) and at the time I mentioned that I had photographed the same behavior the day before from the same birds. This is that sequence of images.
Male Loggerhead Shrike Feeding His Mate
Male Loggerhead Shrikes feed their mates beginning with the formation of pair bonds in early spring and such behavior continues throughout the incubation and nestling periods.
How The Loggerhead Shrike Got Its Name
Loggerhead Shrikes have several distinguishing characteristics including a mean-looking hooked beak and a black facial mask but it’s their very large head that gave them their common name.
A Twice-anomalous Loggerhead Shrike
There are two interesting things about this Loggerhead Shrike that I thought were worth a closer look.
A Mated Pair Of Loggerhead Shrikes
I have very few images of mated pairs of songbirds that I like. This second shot from yesterday is one of them.
Birds “Wearing To Dark” – Some Visual Evidence As To Why
This past summer I posted these first two Loggerhead Shrike images as evidence that the ventral colors of the species change from white to almost black as the summer wears on and asked my readers why this occurs. Several responded with a logical explanation.
Three days ago I photographed a Horned Lark that may demonstrate that those readers were right.
Loggerhead Shrikes – A Color Change I Don’t Understand
I’m confused about a color change I’m seeing in Loggerhead Shrikes. 1600, f/7.1, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, image taken 4/26/13 on Antelope Island For most of the year the adults I see have a white or pale ventral surface (belly, breast and sides) which is exactly as described in the field guides and other resources I have access to. 2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, natural light, image taken 7/3/13 on Antelope Island But beginning in about early July there’s a fairly dramatic change that is not addressed in my field guides. That white plumage turns significantly darker and an almost black area on the upper breast appears. This is about the time they’re fledging chicks around here and when I first noticed this several years ago I wondered if the birds were simply becoming “dirty” as they scurried around trying to feed and care for those very demanding youngsters. But now I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. All of the adult Loggerhead Shrikes I see go through this change to some degree or another. 3200, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light, image taken 7/14/13 on Antelope Island Here’s another (pretty silly looking) example. This is also the time of year when these birds are molting so I wondered if I was somehow seeing black skin (some birds do have black skin) through very skimpy plumage that time of year and I was somehow mistaking it for black feathers. But as you can see in this preening, molting adult, their skin…
Enveloped By Shrikes!
These young birds loved clamoring around on the hood of my pickup. They would look at their reflections, pick at smashed bugs and just generally act like inquisitive kids. It wasn’t unusual to hear a bird clicking about on my roof at the same time one of its siblings was on my hood.