Tuesday 2 June 2009

Butcher's larder

I was busy photographing butterflies when I was aware of this Red-backed Shrike in the hedge about 30 yards away. It seemed more interested in the object hanging from the thorn. I have tried to identify it but to me it is unrecognisable. Any suggestions are welcome. Shrikes are known as butcher birds for their habit of impaling their prey in so called larders.

All of the images were taken at varying distances and have been cropped between 10% and 33%. I had enough time with this stunning bird to adjust camera settings and even take some shots in portrait mode, as shown below.

EXIF Detail: Aperture Priority. F/8. ISO 125. Shutter speed 1/250s. White Balance Cloudy. Exposure -0.7EV. Focal length 500mm. Tripod mounted.


5 comments:

  1. Cracking photograph, is it one of your cyprus shots.

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  2. Hi Sam - it was taken in Turkey last week.

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  3. That Bluethroat is stunning.

    www.wildlifearoundus.blogspot.com

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  4. Great stuff Steve ,really crisp & sharp images

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  5. Could be a seedpod of some sort it looks to be hanging by a stem type appendage?

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