Loggerhead Shrike, Badlands National Park, South Dakota
The Loggerhead Shrike is a bird we normally wouldn’t see here in Northeast Iowa and the only time I had seen one before was in Wupatki National Monument in Arizona a few years ago. This sighting in the early morning along Sagecreek Road in the Badlands a week ago got me all excited. Distance was a little bit of a problem but I didn’t want to miss this opportunity and made a few clicks anyway. Hence that the image is heavily cropped this time.
The shrike feeds on vertebrates and invertebrates and they hunt from low perches or catch prey often on the ground. The bird is known for the fact that they maintain a food larder by impaling their prey on thorns and barbed wire, or tuck them between the fork of a branch.
Photos like the two above leave of course lots of room for improvement. It was one of the brief moments when a decision had to be made, either just watch the bird and keep the camera down or make the click. I decided for the latter and hope the crop tool in post process doesn’t need to be employed again next time a Loggerhead Shrike presents as the subject.
Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S