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 first sequence of images.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
On this morning the midges were thick on Antelope Island. They don’t bite but they can still be annoying to both photographers and birds and this female shrike had them flying all around her. She was unusually “sticky” on this perch and at first I didn’t know why but it soon became apparent that she was patiently waiting…
1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
to be fed by her mate. Here he has just flown in with what appears to be a large insect pupae and she shows obvious interest.
1/3200, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
But then for a few moments she appeared somewhat aloof about the idea of accepting the meal which seemed to confuse her mate.
1/1600, f/8, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
But soon she hopped down off her lofty perch to a horizontal branch just below and took the pupae when it was offered.
1/1600, f/8, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
She manipulated it with her beak for a few seconds and then flew off with it, possibly as food for her chicks, but in my first post of this behavior she ate the meal on the spot.
It’s obvious that this is the same pair of birds as in my first post of the behavior (notice that the male has been banded) even though the sequences were photographed a day apart. You can see my previous post of mate-feeding here if you’re interested.
Ron
Note: This may be my last post for a week or so as I’m about to leave on an extended camping/photo trip and most of the time I’ll be without computer access (though I will get emails and comments on my phone). In the past I’ve prepared posts before I left but this time it just didn’t work out that way – too many distractions came up and I simply ran out of time. The duration of the trip is undetermined – mostly dependent on weather and light.
My apologies to those of you who depend on my posts as a condiment of sorts with your morning coffee…
Thanks for showing us this wonderful moment. I’ll miss my morning “condiment.” Have a wonderful trip! I hope it is both relaxing and exciting.
It is awesome to see such a special intimate moment. I could watch birds and animals interact for hours. Let me clarify – not actually birds & animals together. lol Thank you for letting us share in this moment also.
I hope you have a fantastic trip Ron! You will be missed. I look forward to seeing what you find while away. Enjoy.
Yet another amazing series with behavioural education and photographic beauty. Thank you.
Have a wonderful trip – I am looking forward to seeing the results. Rather a lot.
Really nice series of photos. I would love to be able to see these birds in person.
Ron, there is something in this post and the Savannah Sparrows post (7/25/11) that I feel a need to correct. You refer to a ‘pupae’ here and a ‘larvae’ in the sparrow post. That form of those words is actually the plural. The singular form would be ‘pupa’ and ‘larva’. I apologize if this correction offends – it’s a picky thing left over from having taken a couple of years of Latin in school. Susan
Wonderful series! Especially Love these behavioral shots….Hope you have a wonderful trip, good weather,sweet light, and cooperative subjects….can’t wait to see what you come back with!
Hi Ron,
Great images, and I especially like the words “The duration of the trip is undetermined …”. My kind of trip! Enjoy your travels!
Cheers,
Dick
Have a wonderful trip Ron. Don’t worry about all of us. We’ll still be ehre when you return home. Love the pictures and the behavior. The bugs actually made me itchy!!!
Thank you, Charlotte, Diana and Lois.
Lovely images and fun interplay between the birdies … enjoy your outing … wishing you good light and lots of great subjects!!
Ron. I am one of many who will miss your posts with my morning rituals.
These shrikes make it easy for people to see themselves in bird behavior instead of just relishing in seeing birds behaving like birds.
Superb sequence.
Thanks and travel safely.
Wonderful behavioral shots Ron! Thanks for sharing!Charlotte
I’ll return to some of my favorite posts of yours while you’re on your trip. There are many I’d love to revisit. Have a wonderful time!
That’s a good idea, Alison. I think a lot of those early posts are quite good but very few folks ever saw them because my blog was new so I didn’t have much of an audience.
Thanks for the good wishes, John and Jorge!
Well I guess I have to find something else to amuse myself during my lunch time break…
Respecting the photos they are delightful as always. I’m going to miss them a lot.
I wish you a very pleasant journey full of adventures.
Wonderful sequence Ron. Have a great trip !