Northern shrike - a first for me.


OK - I know, not a great photo.  I shot it from my vehicle, window open, with a 500 mm and a 1.4 teleconverter which equates to just over 1000 mm relative.  Even with all that magnification, the bird was relatively tiny in the viewscreen - just look at the inset.

The great thing about it though is that it is the very first northern shrike I have ever seen.  I knew it was a shrike the moment I saw it; the black mask and hooked beak told me everything I needed to know.  I never saw its larder, the place where it impales its prey for later consumption, but there was likely something very near.  I have to keep in mind that the breeding range of this species is much further north (see map here) so it may only be a transient, although they do overwinter here.

I have photographed loggerhead shrike while visiting my brother in Texas.  They do not live in BC at all, but their ranges do overlap with their northern cousins somewhat.  You can see a photo of a loggerhead below.

Loggerhead shrike photographed in Tomball, Texas, 2019.

Yesterday's find was awesome.  I was hoping to photograph western meadowlarks, but they have not yet arrived.  Maybe next week.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com


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