Squeal for a Shrike
Photo by Raymond Lee Photography found on Flickr
Today was the Christmas Bird Count for the St. Albans/Islands circle in northwestern Vermont. The bird that made me squeal was a young Northern Shrike. I hadn’t seen one in years and I’m always on the lookout in the winter for shrikes.
We were pulled over to count birds at a homeowner’s feeders. I was counting birds on the ground when another bird dropped down on top of a junco and then took off in pursuit of it, trying to pin it against the side of a vehicle with no luck. I thought shrike, but because it didn’t have the black and gray adult plummage I wasn’t sure. But it landed above the feeders and sat for a while, giving the whole team great looks. The beak along with the behavior just clinched the id. What a treat!
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