This Loggerhead Shrike, Lanius ludovicianus, was first observed in our yard on the 27th of September, 2010. He has endeared himself to this blogger by not being too shy and allowing me to get relatively close with the big lens. The Shrike is a predatory songbird, meaning he is known to eat moles, voles,mice, rats, insects, and even small birds when needed. Known also as the "butcher bird" for his habit of impaling his prey on a thorn or barbed wire in order to tear it apart with his hooked beak. He does this because he doesn't have talons to grip his prey like a raptor, thus the use of an outside aid like a thorn.
This particular shrike has his own Facebook Page with quite a few pictures.
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