LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE
Loggerhead Shrikes look more like seed-eating songbirds than predators but, make no mistake, they are fierce for their size. They are especially known for catching voles and mice, then impaling the corpses on the thorns of hawthorn trees. I observed this once in Ontario, during a year when there were so many voles that the owls and hawks and shrikes couldn’t eat them all, so the shrikes stashed them for later consumption. This particular shrike appeared in a shrub about 12’ from me on California’s Santa Cruz Island, and stayed in that position for about five minutes as I photographed it. No fear here. Note the hooked upper beak, designed for tearing flesh.
SIZE: This photograph is printed at an approximate final size of a bit over 3x3,” and is printed on cotton rag photographic paper using pigmented inks for an estimated 400-year display life.
LIMITED EDITION: This photographic print is part of a limited edition produced by photographer Lee Rentz. The edition consists of 250 prints, which includes all sizes and methods of printing.