lanius ludovicianus – Page 2 – Feathered Photography

Loggerhead Shrikes – A Pair Of Lovebirds

Shrikes have been an elusive subject for me for some time now so getting this mated pair in the frame together was a real treat.

Loggerhead Shrike With An Attitude (+ conclusive proof it isn’t an act)

To the casual observer Loggerhead Shrikes may seem like just another songbird but in reality they’re fierce little predators whose prey includes arthropods, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, roadkill and carrion. “Wannabe raptors” indeed.

Loggerhead Shrike Interpretive Panel

Yet another reason why I photograph birds and then blog about them.

Loggerhead Shrike Courtship Feeding Behavior

I don’t know precisely which courtship stage this pair was in but they were clearly having a bonding moment.

Loggerhead Shrike With Prey And In Flight

Plus a surprising reacquisition of focus on the shrike by the 7D Mark II after it took off directly at me.

Loggerhead Shrikes – Courtship Feeding Plus Two Flight Shots

Even these notorious “butcher birds” have their tender moments.

Loggerhead Shrikes With Prey

Plus a Box Elder County café where you definitely do NOT want to eat!

Feet-forward Takeoff From A Loggerhead Shrike

With birds it’s quite often the little things that grab my attention and they don’t come much smaller than this. It was subtle and quick, very quick, but it’s one of the strategies that can make the difference between a meal and going hungry. 1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 1250, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in Yesterday morning on Antelope Island I caught this Loggerhead Shrike swallowing a spider (the island is absolutely loaded with spiders – the state park actually holds an annual Spider Festival). The shrike hunted from this perch for about 5 minutes – launching after potential prey and then returning to the same hunting platform. When this shot was taken the sun was behind a cloud so I decided to crank up my ISO to get a little more shutter speed for takeoff shots. Even at ISO 1250 I needed more SS than this to get the wings of the incredibly fast bird sharp at takeoff but I was already at a higher ISO than I almost ever go. 1/3200, f/5.6, ISO 1250, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in Thankfully the sun came out four minutes later and doubled my shutter speed. An instant after this photo was taken the shrike spotted prey (probably an insect or another spider) directly in front of it. In a typical takeoff the shrike would avoid any obstacles by altering its direction of…