Friday, August 30, 2013

The Strike of a Shrike

I arrived at the entrance of the Click Ponds near the Viera Wetlands just as this Loggerhead Shrike did with a scrumptious meal. From the car, I was able to snap a few photos of the shrike as it wasted no time impaling its prey on one the fence's sharp barbs. Shrikes are known to use sharp objects to hold the prey they have captured. Shrikes do not have strong enough feet to hold the sizable prey they capture, therefore they hang it somewhere so they can consume it.




I didn't stick  a round to watch the shrike eat the grasshopper as it took notice of me...


I did notice that this shrike appeared some sort of fungus or injury on its bill.


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32 comments:

  1. KaHollyAugust 30, 2013 at 7:31 AM

    Holy cow, Tammy, what an awesome series of photos. Talk about being in the right place at the right time!! I love your new header picture!! Makes me smile!

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  2. TexWisGirlAugust 30, 2013 at 10:11 AM

    i'd love to see one of these birds. actually we could use about a thousand of them right now to pluck those nasty grasshoppers and locusts from the fields! :)

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  3. Isidro OrtizAugust 30, 2013 at 10:57 AM

    Excelentes capturas de como esta especie empala a sus presas antes de comerselas.Un abrazo

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  4. Bob BushellAugust 30, 2013 at 11:35 AM

    What a beautiful Shrike, oh, not very nice way of murdering it.

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  5. damianAugust 30, 2013 at 12:16 PM


    Great shots, it's very beautiful birds in addition very inventive ...

    Greetings from Poland :) / Pozdrawiam

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  6. Pasión por las avesAugust 30, 2013 at 12:53 PM

    Hola Tammy bellas imagenes de este Alcaudon con su presa empalada,aqui en España tenemos 4 especies y una es muy parecida a la que nos muestras.Un abrazo

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  7. FABAugust 30, 2013 at 12:58 PM

    Super views of the 'Butcher Bird' and its larder.

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  8. Ana Mínguez CorellaAugust 30, 2013 at 3:11 PM

    Very good sequence .. Great pictures .. Tammy Greetings

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  9. Two Old BirdsAugust 30, 2013 at 4:10 PM

    where do you see these things. lol , Great shots, beautiful bird.

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  10. IrmaAugust 31, 2013 at 12:54 AM

    Hi Tammy,
    What a great photos.
    Photo 4 and 5 are totally awesome.
    Greetings Irma

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  11. Lorents H BlomsethAugust 31, 2013 at 3:28 AM

    Hi Tammy !
    Great shots of the shrike, the grasshoppers are really big ?
    Take care over there !

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  12. MariaAugust 31, 2013 at 3:44 AM

    This is simply awesome behavior and skill.

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  13. DaveSeptember 1, 2013 at 6:31 AM

    Brilliant post showing this great behaviour. I just love Shrikes

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  14. Jero MilánSeptember 1, 2013 at 3:01 PM

    Impresionante y crudo reportaje de las costumbres de esta asombrosa ave. Muchas felicidades Tammy por tan buen trabajo.
    Saludos desde Extremadura

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  15. Mia McPhersonSeptember 2, 2013 at 6:00 PM

    Wonderful images Tammy!

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  16. RonSeptember 3, 2013 at 8:48 AM

    That's a pretty smart way to keep your dinner from running off.

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  17. eileeninmdSeptember 3, 2013 at 1:58 PM

    Tammy, these are awesome captures of the Shrike with the grasshopper!

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  18. Wally JonesSeptember 4, 2013 at 5:58 PM

    Nice timing, Tammy! Gotta love the Shrikes and their inventive methods!

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  19. NoushkaSeptember 6, 2013 at 9:33 AM

    Hello Tammy!
    Back from a few days off again, and I come back to discover this magnificent post!
    That is something I would love to witness once... or twice!! ;-)
    From the car is often the way to go and manage great photos!
    But birds will tend to fly away if you stop! :(
    Boy did I enjoy your wasp-dragonfly, such a cute thing. We have no dragons here that would compare!
    Cheers and keep well!

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  20. UnknownSeptember 6, 2013 at 2:12 PM

    Wow! Amazing series! Congrats, Tammy!

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  21. Marco LuijkenSeptember 7, 2013 at 2:52 AM

    Hello Tammy,
    Wonderful shots!!
    So funny to see the hungry eyes of this beautiful bird. The last shot is so great.
    Well done!!

    Many greetings,
    Marco

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  22. Josh WallestadSeptember 7, 2013 at 8:38 AM

    Very cool pictures, especially the impaled grasshopper! What a great bird to see.

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  23. Josh WallestadSeptember 7, 2013 at 8:48 AM

    Very cool pictures, especially the impaled grasshopper! What a great bird to see.

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  24. Josh WallestadSeptember 7, 2013 at 8:48 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  25. CatherineSeptember 8, 2013 at 10:00 AM

    Fantastic shots as always Tammy!
    Hope the sweet little bird enjoyed his meal. ;)
    xo Catherine

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  26. JerrySeptember 8, 2013 at 4:21 PM

    Superb photographs Tammy, yes that beak does look a little odd. In the UK we sometimes call shrikes 'butcher birds' because of what you describe here, is that a name you have heard?

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  27. Jesús CastellanoSeptember 9, 2013 at 7:41 AM

    Estupendo el momento captado. Muy buenas tus ultimas entradas, Los flamencos, la araña...

    Saludos.

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  28. Our photosSeptember 10, 2013 at 10:12 PM

    WoW! What beautiful photos!
    Greetings, RW & SK

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  29. AnonymousSeptember 12, 2013 at 7:01 AM

    geweldig wat mooi gedaan.

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  30. Nathailes SANTA MARIASeptember 14, 2013 at 10:29 AM

    Bonjour Tammy,
    mon amie aux libellules :)
    Magnifique cette pie grièche, superbe qualité de photos ! bravo.

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  31. LarrySeptember 15, 2013 at 4:49 AM

    We rarely get to see Northern Shrikes in Connecticut and never loggerheads any more. Fantastic series of photos to see it in action like that. I'm just glad I'm not that grasshopper!

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  32. UnknownSeptember 15, 2013 at 7:37 AM

    I run a blog for Smestow Valley LNR. I have started a nature network to protect our patches and coordinate wildlife surveys. Please could you email me at smestowsightings@gmail.com and I can send you more information. Regards, Chris Millward.
    movingmountains4nature.blogspot.co.uk

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I greatly appreciate your comments!

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