Two Shrikes

[Dinusaur]

After many trips to Carden Alvar I finally managed to get a decent photo of a Loggerhead Shrike during my last trip on June 13, 2021. In the photo below the Loggerhead is on the left and a Northern is on the right. The phot of the Northern was taken in Downsview Park in Nov of 2017. Both are adult birds and I hope the photos are clear enough to point out the differences (bill, mask).

[Ally]

Wow!! Thanks for providing the educational post. Nowadays, even birds have masks.

[Dinusaur]

.....Nowadays, even birds have masks.

And don't forget that some wearing shades too, like this Waxwing.

[Shortsighted]

Cool, cool and cool, dude. Nice exposure on the Loggerhead. Too bad there is no knucklehead shrike to keep you on the hunt. I've only seen a shrike a couple of times. Once on Hall's Road near the house at the north end. It was way too far away to photograph with a 200mm lens. I called out to the shrike to wait ... "halt, you shrike" ... so I could apprehend a shot but it fled just like when the cops call out to a suspect long before they confront him, giving the culprit plenty of time to escape. Perhaps a knucklehead shrike would have waited. The other sighting was at CSS but I only had a 135mm kit lens at the time so the shot is too modest to contemplate. So, you got to go to the Carden Alvar. I went across the street a couple of times. Did I mention that I hate you?

[Ally]

Cool, cool and cool, dude. Nice exposure on the Loggerhead. Too bad there is no nucklehead shrike to keep you on the hunt. I've only seen a shrike a couple of times. Once on Hall's Road near the house at the north end. It was way too far away to photograph with a 200mm lens. I called out to the shrike to wait ... "halt, you shrike" ... so I could apprehend a shot but it fled just like when the cops call out to a suspect long before they confront him, giving the culprit plenty of time to escape. Perhaps a nucklehead shrike would have waited. The other siting was at CSS but I only had a 135mm kit lens at the time so the shot is too modest to contemplate. So, you got to go to the Carden Alvar. I went across the street a couple of times. Did I mention that I hate you?

I want to go too.
They always get a Snipe to perch on a stump for them. Beyond my imagination.

[Shortsighted]

Oh, that ol'trope. It's really a stumpified decoy used to set exposure and check AF performance. It's probably still there now, assuming Dinu hasn't knocked it off the stump while panning his super lens to capture a knucklehead shrike. Ever notice that all the snipe shots feature a bird in exactly the same pose. Someone else has an Upland sandpiper decoy. So I've heard. The first year of the decoy deployment the instigator left the manufacturer's tag on the decoy. Made in China. That's why we have photoshop. Someone once used PS to change the label printing rather than to simply remove the label. Changed it to Made in USA in order to provide some quality assurance. Changing it to read Made in Canada would have vanquished all credibility since nothing is really made in Canada except perhaps injustices to indigenous people, abomination and atrocity dutifully buried out back. Even this site was NOT made in Canada.

[Dinusaur]

Too bad I didn't find any Upland Sandpiper decoy; however, there was one of a Grasshopper Sparrow. And there were plenty of Wilson's Snipe decoys in varying poses. And these are definitely made in Canada.

[Shortsighted]

Wow, what great-looking stumps and fence posts. Early American derelict. You really pick them Dinu. The birds are not even getting in the way of all that eroded sculpture, nature's artisanal masterpieces festooned with a patina of lichen. It just makes me weep. Not being able to see the Alvar also makes me weep. Very nice captures though. That snipe is laying claim to that stump, aint gonna move and its putting its foot down on that proclamation.

[Ally]

Wow, what great-looking stumps and fence posts. Early American derelict. You really pick them Dinu. The birds are not even getting in the way of all that eroded sculpture, nature's artisanal masterpieces festooned with a patina of lichen. It just makes me weep. Not being able to see the Alvar also makes me weep. Very nice captures though. That snipe is laying claim to that stump, aint gonna move and its putting its foot down on that proclamation.

Did I tell you?
First I thought you said what great looking stumps. My thoughts exactly. hahahah

Wonderful shots, Dinu

[Dr. John]

Great shots.  It looks like you captured the grasshopper sparrow with a grasshopper in its mouth.