Lanius ludovicianus

Today on On the Wing Photography

By Mia McPherson, on April 3rd, 2013%

Today marks the publication of my 700th post for On The Wing Photography. Yesterday I passed the 250,000 views mark on my blog which has reached viewers in 170 countries.

I’m so grateful to all of my viewers, for the comments you make on my posts, about my images and for the information you share with me. It has been a learning experience for me. I love sharing my photos with you all and hope that some of the tips I give have been helpful. I’ve also gotten to meet so many wonderful people through this blog.

I’m not a writer, I am just someone who writes about what I photograph, about my subjects plus the stories behind the images.

Also yesterday a friend of mine, Rod Wellington finished a 256 day, 3800 mile, totally self-propelled journey. Rod kayaked from the uppermost source of the Missouri River at Brower’s Spring in Montana, down the Missouri River to its confluence with the Mississippi River where he headed south to the Gulf of Mexico. All of this was under his own power including some long portages.

This isn’t the only long journey that Rod has set his sights on as he plans the do the 7 longest river on 7 different Continents all of which will be totally self-propelled. He is an amazing man and inspiration! Check out his blog at Zero Emissions Expeditions.

I have some news I want to share with you all. Yesterday the new edition of the National Geographic Pocket Guides to Birds of North America; by Laura Erickson and Jonathan Alderfer, hit the book store shelves.

The reason I am writing about this book is because it has two of my images in it!

Perched adult Loggerhead Shrike

This Loggerhead Shrike image is on page 110.

Snowy Egret

And this Snowy Egret is on page 39.

When I was a child I used to pour over the National Geographic Magazines that were a gift subscription from my grand parents and as I grew older I also purchased books published by National Geographic. Who knew that one day my photos would be in a book published by National Geographic? I am truly honored.

This book has 192 pages with 160 of them devoted the top species of birds found in North America with beautiful illustrations and images and it is packed with information about those birds. The small size of the book makes it perfect for tucking into a backpack or as a handy reference book for carrying along in a vehicle.

Mia

The National Geographic Pocket Guides to Birds of North Americabook is now for sale at book stores, on the National Geographic web site, Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

Loggerhead Shrikes – They are MIA

By Mia McPherson, on March 21st, 2013%

Loggerhead Shrike portrait – Nikon D300, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 357mm, natural light

I’m used to seeing Loggerhead Shrikes all year round here in northern Utah but they have been MIA for quite some time. My last sighting was about two weeks ago of a single bird and before that it had been at least since late December or January since I saw one. Their absence might have been caused by the harsh winter we had combined with the heavy snow that would have reduced their opportunities to capture their prey which in the winter would consist of small rodents like voles.

Fluffed up Loggerhead Shrike - Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/2500, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light

I’ve been waiting for them to show back up and to see them perched on top of Sagebrush or Rabbitbrush singing. It is difficult to think of them as a songbird because they act like tiny raptors at times but they are indeed songbirds. Take a listen here about halfway down the page.

I’ll be glad to see them again when they are no longer MIA.

Mia

More Loggerhead Shrike images

Loggerhead Shrike in Winter

By Mia McPherson, on November 12th, 2012%

Loggerhead Shrike – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/500, ISO 400, +1.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light

This Loggerhead Shrike was one of the few birds I photographed yesterday on Antelope Island before the Prairie Falcon with a Northern Shoveler as prey that I posted yesterday. The weather on the radar didn’t look bad before heading to the island in the morning but it was. Bad I mean. Snow fell heavily at times and the light was low, I could see Rough-legged and Red-tailed Hawks taking shelter in some of the distant trees. I didn’t see or hear Horned Larks or Chukars and they are birds I am used to seeing year round on the island.

When I spotted this Loggerhead Shrike perched on a bush along the road I thought that my images of it might be the only decent images I would bring home. The background of this image is composed of water at the bottom, the middle white layer is snow on a distant dike near the marina and the touch of blue at the top was actually a bit of blue sky that was visible to the north. I also liked the tiny water droplet under the bill of the shrike.

Mia

More Loggerhead Shrike images

A Cooperative Loggerhead Shrike juvenile

By Mia McPherson, on July 7th, 2012%

From all appearances it has been a great nesting season for the Loggerhead Shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus) on Antelope Island State Park, it seems everywhere I look there are numerous juvenile Shrikes perched on bushes near rather harried looking adults.

Juvie Loggerhead Shrike – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/800, ISO 500, 0.7+ EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light

Yesterday while photographing and adult Shrike I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye and saw this juvenile perched on a bush with the Great Salt Lake in the background. I was able to take about 20 images before the juvie flew off.

I really like the black mask this species has.

Mia

More Loggerhead Shrike images

A Loggerhead Shrike and it’s prey

By Mia McPherson, on May 6th, 2012%

A few weeks ago I was able to photograph a Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) near the marina on Antelope Island State Park, Utah. It was an interesting experience for several reasons.

Loggerhead Shrike with its bill open – Nikon D300, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 800, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 357mm, natural light

When I first spotted the Shrike it was perched on top of a Rabbitbrush and I was able to get several images of the bird before it dove into the base of another nearby bush. I thought it was going to expel a pellet when I took this frame, but it didn’t.

Loggerhead Shrike side view – Nikon D300, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 800, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 357mm, natural light

After a few moments the Shrike appeared on top of another Rabbitbrush adjacent to the one it had dived underneath. I wanted to get clear images of the bird’s tail without the foreground obstructions so I hoped it would move to another location.

Loggerhead Shrike preening – Nikon D300, f9, 1/800, ISO 800, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 357mm, natural light

The Loggerhead preened for a bit, it looks like it also needed to clean the blood from a recent meal from its bill too.

Loggerhead Shrike hunched down with an eye on the sky – Nikon D300, f8, 1/1000, ISO 800, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 321mm, natural light

As I photographed the Shrike it suddenly hunched down, getting close to the bush it was perched on and I could tell that it was looking at something above and behind me but the roof of the “mobile blind” was in the way so I wasn’t sure what it was.

Loggerhead Shrike watching a Common Raven fly by – Nikon D300, f8, 1/1000, ISO 800, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 321mm, natural light

By the time I created this frame I could tell that the Shrike was watching a Common Raven fly by, I’m fairly certain that Ravens do not prey on adult Loggerhead Shrikes but they may prey on their young. I have seen this hunkering down behavior in Loggerhead Shrikes before.

Loggerhead Shrike with prey in its bill – Nikon D300, f8, 1/1250, ISO 800, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited

Within just a few moments after the Raven flew out of range the Shrike dove into the base of the same Rabbitbrush it had been underneath before, at first I thought it went into the bush for safety reasons but I was soon to find out why it had been returning to that bush. When the Loggerhead flew out of the bush I could tell it had something in its bill, I quickly zoomed all the way out, locked on focus and was able to fire off four images as the Shrike perched briefly on a dried out Sunflower stalk. A pretty messy environment but I felt the image was interesting because of the prey in the bill.

The bird flew off and out of sight so I got out of the mobile blind and went over to the bush the Shrike had gone into both times with one of my backup D200′s that has my Nikkor 18-200mm VR lens attached to it.

The Loggerhead Shrike’s impaled prey – Nikon D200, handheld, f11, 1/45, ISO 250, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 200mm, natural light

I was tickled to find the Shrike’s prey impaled on the bush, they cache prey that way. Think of it as a Shrike’s pantry, they know just where to go when they get hungry again.

The day was partly overcast which is why I used a high ISO for the Shrike images to get the shutter speeds I thought I might need and also why I was using positive exposure compensation.

It pays to observe your subject, to learn their behaviors and to not start up the engine to pull away too quick or I would have missed the shot of the Shrike with the prey in the bill. Having patience is a MUST in bird photography.

Mia

More Loggerhead Shrike images