{"id":66642,"date":"2020-03-10T06:09:55","date_gmt":"2020-03-10T12:09:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=66642"},"modified":"2026-01-31T14:28:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T20:28:42","slug":"adult-and-immature-loggerhead-shrikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/03\/10\/adult-and-immature-loggerhead-shrikes\/","title":{"rendered":"Adult And Immature Loggerhead Shrikes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AdultAdult Loggerhead Shrike perched on sage \u2013 Nikon D300, f7.1, 1\/1000, ISO 320, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The past couple of times I have gone to Antelope Island<\/span><\/a> I have seen and heard several Loggerhead Shrikes which was a nice because I haven’t seen as many of them the past couple of years as I did when I first moved to Utah.<\/p>\n

Part of the reason I haven’t seen as many on Antelope Island is that typically when the shrikes are busy building their nests the no-see-ums (biting gnats) are out in full force and I have started to avoid the island during that time because my reactions to the bites of the no-see-ums have gotten more severe over time.<\/p>\n

In the past I have written that I wouldn’t let the biting gnats stop me from photographing on the island but I’ve had my eyes nearly swollen shut from just a single bite and have since gotten more careful about my exposure to the blood-sucking, irritating, awful gnats. I can’t photograph birds if I can’t see them!<\/p>\n

I love seeing these songbird wanna-be-raptors though and even though their “songs” aren’t quite what we expect their songs still make me smile<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

“Wanna-be-raptors”?\u00a0 I haven’t lost my marbles, I know they aren’t raptors but they do hunt down and dispatch prey plus they carry prey in their hooked bills and with their feet but these birds don’t literally qualify as raptors. They just have the attitudes of much larger, predatory birds.<\/p>\n

\"ImmatureImmature Loggerhead Shrike perched on a broken branch \u2013 Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Loggerhead Shrikes breed on Antelope Island and in the lower elevations of northern Utah. The past couple of years when I have been avoiding the no-see-ums on Antelope Island I have spent much of my time up in the Wasatch, Oquirrh, and Stansbury Mountains and I just don’t see the shrikes frequently up at those elevations.<\/p>\n

Both of these Loggerheads Shrikes were photographed on Antelope Island, the adult was photographed in April of 2014 and the immature shrike was photographed in August of 2015.<\/p>\n

If I can find a protective head net that actually works I might just venture back out onto the island after the no-see-ums come out because I miss photographing nesting Loggerhead Shrikes. Any recommendations for head nets that truly work would be sincerely and deeply appreciated.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/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

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If I can find a protective head net that actually works I might just venture back out onto the island after the no-see-ums come out because I miss photographing nesting Loggerhead Shrikes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":167939,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_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":[4004,514,4897,9230,5381,9232,4067,4071,4171,4066,784,4104,2817,4057,3906,3907,4018,4193],"class_list":["post-66642","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-biting-gnats","tag-branch","tag-broken","tag-hatch-year","tag-head-net","tag-immature","tag-juvenile","tag-lanius-ludovicianus","tag-loggerhead-shrike","tag-no-see-ums","tag-perched","tag-sage","tag-sagebrush","tag-shrike","tag-shrikes","tag-sky","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-adult-sagebrush-mia-mcpherson-9680.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-hkS","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":66642,"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":66642,"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 Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-winter-mia-mcpherson-9820.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-winter-mia-mcpherson-9820.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-winter-mia-mcpherson-9820.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-winter-mia-mcpherson-9820.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":66642,"position":2},"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, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-2743.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-2743.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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2014","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning while Antelope Island there was a Loggerhead Shrike perched on a dead branch that was near the north shoreline of the Great Salt Lake.","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":"One adult Loggerhead Shrike bringing in prey to another, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/loggerhead-shrikes-prey-mia-mcpherson-7091.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-shrikes-prey-mia-mcpherson-7091.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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