Copyright ©2016 Deborah M. Zajac, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
I have only seen this bird a handful of times, and managed to get an image even less.
This Loggerhead Shrike was on the fence bordering the Tule Elk Paddock as you enter the Refuge. This one was pretty accommodating and let me take its photo for a couple of minutes.
Coming around to the end of the auto-route in the Refuge was this Loggerhead Shrike perched on a dried plant in the Tule Elk paddock. It was pretty far away and behind a wire fence. This is cropped in a bit. I wondered if it wasn’t the same Shrike I’d seen when I first entered the Refuge? I’ll never know but am thrilled to have seen it!
This was an exciting start to my day of birding.
Nikon D300s| Nikon 200-500mm VR| Lexar Digital Film| PS CC 2016
More to come…
Circadianreflections Blog 
Great photos :-)! I see Northern Shrikes on rare occasions here… so always an exciting site. It may be a bit gory of me… but I’d like to see one some day with its impaled prey. The National Geographic Complete Birds of North America has a cute picture of a Loggerhead Shrike with a lizard tail in its mouth and the rest of the lizard is impaled on a wire barb.
Hehehe! We’re cut from the same cloth. I do too! I look at the barb wire fences to see if there are an tale-tell signs of Shrikes when out birding.
This one didn’t have any prey around the area that I could see. Mores the pity! 🙂
:-D!
such clear crisp images!! You better start a book!!
Thank you so much Cybele! Oh gosh, and friend and I have an ongoing joke about who will finish their book project first. I think he will. I’m a bit intimidated and overwhelmed by the software/template that companies use,and all the work I think it will take to get images ready for it.
good luck Deb!! it will be beautiful I know!
Finally had some time to peruse your interesting blog. It hadn’t occurred to me yet, that you were a birder. A subject I know nothing about. Do you know the challenge Sat. Critters? (http://viewingnaturewitheileen (at) blogspot (dot) com) Also, when I was reading Merced, CA – I live about 3 1/2 hrs. from Yosemite where the Merced river runs through!
Thanks so much for taking the time to peruse my blog! That means a lot! I hope you liked what you saw!
I started out as a landscape photographer, but while out photographing the scenery I kept seeing neat birds, and animals that I wanted to photograph. The two go hand- in- hand to me. I bought a longer lens and haven’t looked back.
How wonderful that you’re only 3 1/2 hours away from Yosemite! I’m just a bit over 4 hours away. I go whenever I can. You’re in SO CAL right?
No, I haven’t seen or heard of that blog. I’ll check it out. Thanks for the link.
Yes, I like your blog! (and that comes from a perfectionist like I)!
Yes, I like your blog -that comes from a perfectionist like I! What kind of a lens do you need for birding? The only zoom lens I have is a Tamron lens. Birds are so illusive! We have a hummingbird feeder, but I have yet to be able to take a decent pic:( Lived in So. Calif. for 3 decades, till Aug. 2014. Was always a city dweller (except childhood). So it was a big adjustment no living 1 1/2 hrs. E. from Sacramento. Miss the beach!
I think I would miss the beach and being landlocked would be a struggle after living only 30 minutes from the ocean.
Lenses- So, you have the Tamron 18-270mm lens? You should be able to get some really nice images of the Hummers at your feeder.
Which camera do use with the lens? Does it have manual controls?
I can give you some settings to try, but they are fast zipping around it’s best to capture images while they’re feeding, or perched near the feeder or on it to start with. If they feed on any of your flowers you can get images of them in flight eating.
Let me know about your camera and we’ll work on setting and a set up for you.
He’s such a handsome little guy. I like the photo with him on the branch.
Thank you so much Dan! It’s sort of dreamy I think. A by product of the fence I was shooting through I believe.
wow gorgeous birds and what a capture! I love the fence as well!
Thank you very much Lynn! They are neat looking with their mask aren’t they.
They are so cool!
Exciting and a beautiful capture.
Thank you so much Jackie!
A very exciting start of your birding, puts that extra upbeat, bounce in your step for rest of your day!
It surely did! Thanks for the comment Donna.
Oh, and beautifully captured!
Thank you so much Melissa!