Hi Va-bird,
Late this morning (June 29) I found a family group of Loggerhead Shrikes at
Sky Meadows State Park along the Bridle Trail. The birds were flying around
quite a bit, but it seemed that there were 3 juveniles and 2 adults for a
total of 5 birds. The trail is a square loop and the birds were essentially
in the middle of it. Where the trail splits and the loop begins there is a
choice of turning right or walking straight along a hedgerow. The birds were
initially found along the other hedgerow that runs parallel to this one out
to the right (assuming you went straight at the junction and are walking the
loop counterclockwise). The birds were perched along the barbed wire fence
and in a dead tree. Soon there after they began flying towards the other
hedgerow (the one that the trail follows) and various trees in between.
There have been single birds in this area for some time, but this is the
first breeding record I know of. It is nice to see they had a successful
nesting attempt. There is also a family group of American Kestrels in this
same area which may be of interest.
Good Birding,
Alex
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Alex Merritt
Oak Hill, VA
cerulean182@xxxxxxxxxxx
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