{"id":2061,"date":"2011-03-10T04:15:39","date_gmt":"2011-03-10T11:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=2061"},"modified":"2026-01-30T12:07:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T18:07:14","slug":"antelope-island-loggerhead-shrikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2011\/03\/10\/antelope-island-loggerhead-shrikes\/","title":{"rendered":"Antelope Island Loggerhead Shrikes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even though they are not colorful I think Loggerhead Shrikes are handsome birds with the combination of black, white, the bluish gray and the hawk-like beak.<\/p>\n

\"LoggerheadLoggerhead Shrike in early spring – Nikon D200, f7.1, 1\/350, ISO 400, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not a set up<\/span><\/p>\n

Last week I wrote that I was looking forward to the birds that arrive here in the spring and\u00a0yesterday I\u00a0was able\u00a0to photograph some of the Loggerhead Shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus<\/em>) that I mentioned.<\/p>\n

The light was not optimal, the weather forecasters said it was going to be “partly cloudy”. I can tell you there wasn’t very much blue sky evident anywhere on or near the island.<\/p>\n

Low light has its challenges such as trying to keep a high enough shutter speed to get the birds sharp without having to use high ISO’s and to select the best exposure compensation value to show details in the darks without blowing out the whites.<\/p>\n

\"LoggerheadLoggerhead Shrike on seed heads – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/500, ISO 400, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not a set up<\/span><\/p>\n

The past two days I’ve been seeing\u00a0 and photographing the Antelope Island<\/span><\/a> Loggerhead Shrikes in the same areas I saw them most last year. \u00a0I’m hoping that I will have as many opportunities this year as I did last year. (In better light would be nice!)<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to view more of my Loggerhead Shrike photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week I wrote that I was looking forward to the birds that arrive here in the spring and yesterday I was able to photograph some of the Loggerhead Shrikes that I mentioned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":167735,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,27,1022,247,26],"tags":[4004,11978,4171,4066,156,4104,10590,3906,3907,165],"class_list":["post-2061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-loggerhead-shrikes","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-desert-island","tag-lanius-ludovicianus","tag-loggerhead-shrike","tag-low-light-2","tag-perched","tag-seed-heads","tag-shrike","tag-shrikes","tag-spring"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-mia-mcpherson-8978.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-xf","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":101743,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/04\/23\/loggerhead-shrike-population-decline-concerns\/","url_meta":{"origin":2061,"position":0},"title":"Loggerhead Shrike Population Decline Concerns","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 23, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"About two weeks ago I found an adult Loggerhead Shrike perched on a lichen covered rock in northern Utah a good distance from the road that I was on.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Loggerhead Shrike perched on a lichen covered rock, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/loggerhead-shrike-adult-lichen-rocks-mia-mcpherson-6340.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/loggerhead-shrike-adult-lichen-rocks-mia-mcpherson-6340.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/loggerhead-shrike-adult-lichen-rocks-mia-mcpherson-6340.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/loggerhead-shrike-adult-lichen-rocks-mia-mcpherson-6340.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":109638,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/01\/16\/winter-loggerhead-shrike\/","url_meta":{"origin":2061,"position":1},"title":"Winter Loggerhead Shrike: A Species In Decline","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 16, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Due to extended gray, cloudy weather and not getting out into the field I dug into my archives and today I am sharing a photo of a winter Loggerhead Shrike.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Loggerhead Shrike in winter, Box 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2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I've been seeing more and more Loggerhead Shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus) pairing up the past week or so which means it won't be long before they are on their nests.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Loggerhead Shrike perched on a Moth Mullein, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-mullein-mia-mcpherson-9746.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-mullein-mia-mcpherson-9746.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-mullein-mia-mcpherson-9746.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-mullein-mia-mcpherson-9746.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14509,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/03\/06\/loggerhead-shrikes-are-calling-on-antelope-island\/","url_meta":{"origin":2061,"position":3},"title":"Loggerhead Shrikes Are Calling On Antelope Island","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Last year about this time I wrote a post complaining about Loggerhead Shrikes being MIA but this year I don't have that complaint because I am seeing and hearing these \"Butcherbirds\" on Antelope Island.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Back view of a Loggerhead Shrike juvenile, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-2563.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-2563.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-2563.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-2563.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5303,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/07\/07\/a-cooperative-loggerhead-shrike-juvenile\/","url_meta":{"origin":2061,"position":4},"title":"Cooperative Loggerhead Shrike Juvenile","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 7, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"From all appearances it has been a great nesting season for the Loggerhead Shrikes on Antelope Island State Park, it seems everywhere I look there are numerous juvenile Shrikes perched on bushes near rather harried looking adults.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile Loggerhead Shrike perched on Greasewood, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, 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