Grey Shrike - Butcher Bird

 Grey Shrike - Butcher Bird

I was excited to see this bird again this morning.  I saw one for the first time a few weeks ago when taking the dogs for a walk in the desert near my house.  I was surprised that it didn't fly off right away with the dogs running all around, and had plenty time to study its marking. I didn't have my camera with me at the time, and probably wouldn't have gotten a very good picture anyways because it was getting dark, but I went right home and looked it up. I think it is a Loggerhead shrike. According to what I read shrikes are known as butcher birds because they hunt somewhat like hawks. They wait on perches and swoop down on birds, lizards, and other small animals. Because they don't have talons like hawks, they skewer their catch on cactus spines and thorns or stuffs them between rocks to eat them.