Loggerhead Shrike

Gallery: AvianPosted April 23, 2010153 views19 comments

A pair of shrikes have been building their nest and since the bison have been shedding their winter coats, the fur these birds find snagged on the sagebrush makes a perfect nest lining.

Here, the shrike had landed on the sagebrush with the fur in it's claws but then leaned down and pulled some of it up with it's beak just before flying off to the nest - thus the long strand of fur stretched between feet and beak.

I do wish for an unobstructed tail and less OOF vegetation in the foreground but enjoyed the behavior.

7D, 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, shot from pickup window on 4-19-10, cropped to 45% of original image, minor adjustments to blacks and whites in ACR, no other processing, natural light

Comments/critique appreciated

Comments

19 comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on April 23, 2010 at 7:40 PM

Very nice, Ron. I especially like how you avoided blowing the whites so prevalent in this image. Detail is interesting too. Fine capture of this behavior.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on April 23, 2010 at 8:02 PM

Awesome Ron. The whites are great and you got a nice look at the eye as well. Love the fur too. I thought it was moss.

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments

Comment posted by Joel DeYoung on April 23, 2010 at 8:39 PM

Great job with the exposure Ron. The details in both the black and white feathers are great. The fur in the beak puts it over the top. Well done.

Registered on July 12, 2009, 92 Posts, 1074 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on April 23, 2010 at 9:31 PM

I've yet to find a shrike at a nest or working on one like this. I'd be thrilled to do so. The obstructed tail is not a problem for me, but I'd go a bit darker on the whites here - especially the throat.

Nice to see you back posting, by the way.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on April 23, 2010 at 9:42 PM

Ron, the detail in this is outstanding (as it always is). I like the added bonus of the shriike with building materials. I like most of the exposure, but the sage looks a little over-exposed to me. Might just be my monitor sinece I am on my pattop right now, so I will look at it again when I get home tonight. Probably me.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on April 23, 2010 at 10:42 PM

"I'd go a bit darker on the whites here - especially the throat"

I think you're right Rich.

"I like most of the exposure, but the sage looks a little over-exposed to me."

You may be right Kurt but I'm not convinced of it. When the new sage leaves first come out they're lighter in color than they are later in the year.

But I thank you both (and others) for your honest critiques!

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on April 23, 2010 at 11:17 PM

Hey Ron, very nice looking shrike. Very sharp, and the bison fur is a super touch. I agree with Rich that the whites look a little bright. Glad to see you back around.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on April 23, 2010 at 11:50 PM

Great behavior shot, Ron, and just a lovely shot of the Shrike in general. The oof sage is a bummer, but it doesn't draw my eye badly.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on April 24, 2010 at 3:38 AM

Nice one Ron - ditto your comments but great behaviour and a good job on the exposure

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Dethan Punalur on April 24, 2010 at 10:42 AM

Hi Ron,
Beautiful....!!!

Dethan Punalur,
Coonoor, India

Registered on October 12, 2006, 410 Posts, 562 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Gilham on April 24, 2010 at 11:27 AM

Great capture Ron, love the bison fur which at first I thought was a shadow from the twig in front of the shrike until I actually saw thetwig shadow. I might be temted to clone the twig coming out left on the tail. Still very nice as posted.

Registered on September 20, 2009, 77 Posts, 489 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on April 24, 2010 at 11:47 AM

The buffalo fur really makes this shot! Nice exposure on the bird, but agree that the oof sage is a little bright/distracting. Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments

Comment posted by Monica Siri on April 24, 2010 at 3:54 PM

Great behavioural shot, Ron. Very nice pose and excellent detail.

Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments

Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on April 24, 2010 at 6:31 PM

Hi Ron,
Nice to see that you're finding dome bird activity. The whites look just fine to me. I'd also like to see hi a littel more in the open, but pretty cool to see this activity.

Registered on October 18, 2006, 644 Posts, 4801 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on April 24, 2010 at 11:36 PM

Can't add much more, I really liked the photo from the first time I looked at it. I'll suggest a slight crop from the left perhaps to make the frame more vertical, I don't think centering the bird would be a problem. The bison fur is interesting, makes me wonder how the eradication of the great herds impacted bird species that perhaps relied on this source of nesting material. I really like shrikes, great find and photo.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Rohn B. McKee on April 25, 2010 at 1:12 PM

Great Capture Ron, The buffalo hair is a fun plus. Thanks for keeping the standard so high for all of us.

Registered on November 18, 2008, 109 Posts, 415 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Saunders on April 25, 2010 at 1:32 PM

Nice behavior shot Ron. I love those little guys. They are finally back here and will be nest building soon I expect .
I might have cropped a touch more of the right, but that's just my preference, and I'm sure you wanted to include more of that nice looking perch .

Registered on February 6, 2008, 321 Posts, 3035 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on April 26, 2010 at 1:06 PM

A buffalo hair nest, well that something I have never heard of before. I like this shot very much, the sage at the bottom does not bother me, the main point of interest is the bird with the fur in it's mouth. Rich D. may have a point about the throat area but that is minor for me. Excellent shot, way to go.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on April 28, 2010 at 8:33 PM

Never got a chance to comment on this. The action you caught is phenomenal and the behavior is great too. Perfect exposure, one of your best non-raptor shots

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments