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Northern Shrike
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Northern Shrike

by Jim DeWitt

Gallery: AvianPosted March 23, 201095 views9 comments
Olympus E-3, 300mm x 1.4TC, tripod
f13, 1/320, ISO200

Eastern Denali Highway, June 2009.

A friend pointed me to the shrike's nest. I posted a shot of the just-fledged kid last summer; this is one of the adults, who really didn't seem very worried by my presence. I needed to be able to move a half a step to the right to separate the bird's back from the branch, but it would have involved falling off a cliff. The dead branches seemed appropriate for a bird of such ... unsettling ... habits.

Cropped to vertical; usual sharpening drill.

C & C, please.

Comments

9 comments
Comment posted by Angela McCain on March 23, 2010 at 8:23 PM
Very nice. I like these birds a lot. I really like the detail in the bill that you have captured. I believe that I can see blood on it. Also the eye is very good, which can be difficult with their black band across the head.
Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments
Comment posted by Gary Gulash on March 23, 2010 at 8:44 PM
Like Angela I like this species too ,for their appearance and for their interesting behavior. Further to Angela's observation I think I might also be able to see some blood on the dead branches at the top of the frame - perhaps from an earlier victim. I like the dark sky and overall brooding feel to the image but might suggest brightening the shrike just a little bit.
Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments
Comment posted by Terry Sohl on March 23, 2010 at 8:50 PM
Love the look at that hooked beak, nice detail. Agreed ideally it would be nice to have moved to a step right. VERY glad you didn't. :wink: :toast:
Registered on November 1, 2003, 513 Posts, 6889 Comments
Comment posted by Gary Marquart on March 23, 2010 at 9:46 PM
This is one ghastly looking bird, especially with the blood on the beak. This photo really portrays the character and personality of this species. The bird looks a little dark to me. If it were lighter I think it would help show more detail in the feathers on it's under parts which is mostly whats facing the camera. Nice shot!
Registered on October 24, 2009, 126 Posts, 799 Comments
Comment posted by Dennis Plank on March 23, 2010 at 10:18 PM
Excellent, Jim. Great detail and I like the pose. There's a guy down here that gets low level aerial photos by attaching a camera to a helium balloon with a special rig and remote controlling it. That's all you needed for that extra half-step. Just another toy to lug around. :wink: :toast:
Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments
Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on March 23, 2010 at 10:49 PM
great view of the bill here--that is quite a hook at the tip. an interesting pose, and I think that the bird is well-framed even if you couldn't step off that cliff. I do agree that it might be a bit dark.
Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments
Comment posted by David Sparks on March 24, 2010 at 3:26 PM
Jim:
I like the curved pose of the bird, nice view of the eye, great view of the curved beak with dried blood (?), and blue sky. I would be inclined to brighten the belly of the bird a tad too. :toast:
Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments
Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on March 24, 2010 at 3:55 PM
Great shot, Jim. I like this composition very much! I don't think you could have done a better shot moving a further half step!
Mauro
Registered on January 21, 2010, 650 Posts, 2500 Comments
Comment posted by Dan Moore on March 24, 2010 at 6:18 PM
A lot of folks seem to want you to take that step.
Very interesting. Looks like he could hold his own.

Dan
Registered on February 11, 2010, 143 Posts, 1248 Comments