Loggerhead Shrike

Loggerhead Shrike perched near the tip of a small tree branch.
Loggerhead Shrike, Bitter Lake NWR, Roswell, NM, November 10, 2022, Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-10,000; f/11; 1/500 sec.

This page is for the Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus). This has been a difficult bird for me to get a shot despite that they are fairly plentiful around where I live. Unfortunately I was behind the first one I photographed and it had its head down hunting. I could not get positioned where I could see the head. There is a slight chance it is actually a Northern Shrike, but my location at the State Park was on the very edge of its typical range, so maybe. The Loggerhead Shrike is much more common, so I went with the odds. On my next road-trip, which was to New Mexico, I did manage to get some nice shots of the Loggerhead Shrike.

Loggerhead Shrike perched on a wire. It is facing away from the camera with its head down so the head is not visible.
Loggerhead Shrike, Black Mesa State Park, Kenton, Ok, October 19, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-250; f/11; 1/1000 sec.
Loggerhead Shrike perched on the tip of a dead tree branch.
Loggerhead Shrike, Bitter Lake NWR, Roswell, NM, November 9, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-1000; f/10; 1/800 sec.