The day after Christmas when my husband and I went to Huntsville I saw, just up the road from our house, a quick glimpse of a Loggerhead Shrike dashing off the telephone wire into a tree. Yesterday, Morgan and I went on a mission to see if we could find him.
We nearly FROZE!!!
I didn't take many pictures because as I mentioned, WE WERE ON A MISSION!!
But I couldn't resist taking a picture of Nature's Christmas decorations!
We walked past the Guinea neighbor's house and were a bit disappointed because that was where we were expecting to see the Shrike and we had to turn around because our eyes were watering from the biting cold wind.
We walked past the Guinea neighbor's house and were a bit disappointed because that was where we were expecting to see the Shrike and we had to turn around because our eyes were watering from the biting cold wind.When we did I saw a flash of Mockingbird colors but I knew that was no Mockingbird!
This was my Shrike and a "life" bird for me. My northern home only produced the Northern Shrike, one of my favorite winter birds.
The Loggerhead loves open fields and shrubby hedgerows with fences to hunt from. 
Loggerheads eat mice, lizards large bugs and "gulp" small birds. They impale their catch on thorns and barbwire for safe keeping. These next two images are heavily cropped as he kept his distance.
On the way home we met a few Bluebirds who chatted to us but didn't pose!
It was well worth the runny noses to get our Loggerhead confirmed. For the poem I wrote for my Northern Shrike please click on the title of this post!
Loggerheads eat mice, lizards large bugs and "gulp" small birds. They impale their catch on thorns and barbwire for safe keeping. These next two images are heavily cropped as he kept his distance.
On the way home we met a few Bluebirds who chatted to us but didn't pose!
It was well worth the runny noses to get our Loggerhead confirmed. For the poem I wrote for my Northern Shrike please click on the title of this post!
14 comments:
That Shrike is a really striking looking bird Evie, Hope you can get some closeups sometime.
If you could hardly stand the cold it makes you wonder how a bird can!
That doesn't look like the type of bird that would eat other birds. Yikes! Good for you Eve in sighting a Shrike. I've never seen one either.
That was one think I liked about living in the South, lots of cool birds, even in the winter.
Yay! Congrats! A great bird to get!
Well done Evie, on getting a life bird and just down the road from home too! (-: Hope you celebrated with a nice hot chocolate with a wee dram added! (-:
Glad you were able to add another bird to your life list! I love the Loggerhead Shrike. I also like its other common names- French Mockingbird and Butcher Bird. I wrote an article on it last year- (crass cross promotion of my blog) at http://www.natureatcloserange.com/2008/03/butcherbird.html
Very cool- and great shots, Eve!
I forgot to mention in my last post- the Northern Shrike would be a life bird for me- I have yet to see one of those. :)
First of all, I love your poem!! So cute :) Second, congrats on your life bird, that's great! I'm happy you found it, awesome pictures!
Yea! Eve, You found one of the birds that I would love to see someday!! Congrats!! I can hear your pain with that biting wind...we are in the teens today..with wind gusts up to 50 mph..not much walking today. I keep jumping up from my computer and running to stand in front of the fire place...lol.
Glad you caught that little blue..they just make one's day, I think!!
Congrats on the Loggerhead lifer.
The birds are so sweet
I've never, ever, ever, ever seen a Shrike, Eve. Daniel used to take close-up shots of them down the road, on telephone lines above the wheat fields, but not me. They hide from me. I'm SOOOOOO happy for you!!! Yay! for Life Bird Sightings!
What a fascinating bird! I hope I can see one for myself some day.
Eve, I hope you and yours have a wonderful 2010, and I look forward to your upcoming posts!! Tammy and the Wrensong bunch.
Congratulations on your life bird Sunny Side Up Eve!
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