Photos taken January 5, 2024
The Loggerhead Shrike…
A strikingly beautiful gray, black and white bird with a deadly hook at the tip of their bill which helps them kill their prey.
Shrikes are rare among songbirds for their lifestyle of hunting and eating animals. They often kill more prey than they need at one time, but they don’t let it go to waste. They often store food for later by impaling their prey on spines or barbed wire, earning the nickname “butcher birds. (from Web)
This bird was a very cooperative subject! He would return to this “stag” and stay for long periods of time.
This Vermilion Flycatcher would sit in this location for just about the same length of time the Shrike sat in the stag. The Vermilion was hunting insects, right near the Shrike. I sure am glad I didn’t see it becoming dinner for the Shrike. I guess this little guy wasn’t competition.
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