*please scroll down for English version*


Questo uccellino, secondo me bellissimo, ha un nome sul quale Gerry Scotti ironizzo’ parecchio ai tempi di Passaparola: si chiama Averla maggiore, o Averla grande, con l’accento rigorosamente sulla prima A.
In finnico: Isolepinkäinen (Lanius excubitor).

E’ poco piu’ grande di 20cm, ma come si vede dal becco fatto a rostro, e’ un…temibile predatore! In genere se ne sta appostato sul suo posatoio, un ramo, un filo della corrente, guarda giu’ e appena vede una preda si lancia. Le sue prede sono piccoli roditori, talpe e arvicole. E’ dunque un carnivoro. La sua caratteristica fisica piu’ evidente e’ la mascherina di piume nere sugli occhi…proprio come un tenero Zorro.

In inverno migra poco lontano dalla Finlandia e a Marzo e’ di ritorno. Questo infatti l’ho ritrovato sullo stesso filo a primavera dopo averlo visto per l’ultima volta a dicembre.

Zorro’s Mask.
The Great grey shrike (Lanius excubitor) is a quite small bird, just bigger than 20cm, who bears a funny “mask” of black feathers on its face and looks to me like a tiny tender Zorro.
It is a predator, it generally stays on a higher place watching down all the time and when it sees a prey, it throws itself to the ground. Its preys are moles, mice and small rodent. In winter it migrates not far from Finland and it is back in March. I met this individual again and again on the same power line with an interval from December till March.
****
.
Linked to: Saturday’s Critters.

Beautiful bird and very nice shots!
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Now and then we see them here in Belgium during winter.
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
La mascherina la indossa per non farsi riconoscere.
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Like a bird on the wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free
Like a worm on a hook
Like a knight from some old fashioned book
I have saved all my ribbons for thee~Leonard Cohen.
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Thanks. 😊👍
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
…è un vero mascalzone mascherato! 😄
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
That’s where they escape from here, perhaps…😄😄
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Thanks. I like this bird so much.
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
How do you get your post photos to move from one to another just by clicking?
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
If you mean the mosaic, it is a feature that WordPress allows. When you upload the single shots, you just follow the option: Tiled mosaic, instead of: Individual images.
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Hello,
Love the Great Shrike, we have a similar looking Shrike in the US. Great photos.
Take care, have a great weekend!
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
It is an amazing bird. Thank you, Eileen. Happy weekend to you too!
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
🥰
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
👍👍
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Good bird, great photos!
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Thanks for the tip!
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
E’ meraviglioso. ❤
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
an beautiful bird
happy weekend
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Thank you Willy. Happy weekend! 🐦
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Thank you, Hien. 🐦
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Lo è. Proprio bello. Grazie, Nadia. 🐦
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
A beautiful bird.
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
I like it too. 👍
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Hello Luisella,
Great photos of the Shrike, it is a pretty bird. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Thanks for hosting. Happy and sunny weekend to you!
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
This image caught my attention. Anita
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
You got great photos of the Shrike. We have a loggerhead Shrike here in Florida and it’s exciting to see one!
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Thank you. Glad you like my post. 😊👍🐦
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
It is a cutie. 😄🥰
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Nice shots. 👍🏻
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
I haven’t seen this shrike, but it’s pretty like all shrikes. Beautiful shots!
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Thanks. Yes, a pretty bird.
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Thanks.
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
Shrikes are one of my very favorite bird species. Thank you for sharing your wonderful iamges!
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
I like them very much too. Thanks for your kind words. All the best! 😊
"Mi piace""Mi piace"
They are quite cute with their black masks – incredibly ruthless though as they like to impale their victims for later consumption…every creature has its nuances ha. Nice series of shots.
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Nature is like that. Thanks for your kind comment. 😊
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Lovely shots. You remind me that I haven’t had a good sighting of the great gray shrike in a year.
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Thanks. It is not a common view here, but sometimes one has some luck…😊
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
I have never seen a shrike of any species: I would love to one day. Nice photos!
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
I was so lucky as to have met also another beautiful Shrike which I will post one day. Thanks and happy weekend, Denzil!
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona
Sounds intriguing! You too! 👍
"Mi piace"Piace a 1 persona