[bcbirdclub] Loggerhead Shrike Courtship Behavior Tazewell Co
- From: Thomas Hunter <opiehunter@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, buchanan co bc <bcbirdclub@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, virginia birds <va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:51:43 -0700 (PDT)
This afternoon I was birding on Ascue Road near Wardell in Tazewell County
looking for early warblers along the creek. As I walked back to the truck I
noticed a Loggerhead Shrike perched on a thorn bush. I took some photos and was
starting to leave when I heard a call I had not heard before. It reminded me of
the "bzeep" of a Woodcock. I looked for the source of the sound and discovered
it was the Shrike. This is the first time I have heard a Shrike. He was looking
back towards a thick thornbush and calling. He was soon joined by his mate who
flew from the center of the thick shrub. They sat together for a couple of
minutes then one flew to the ground and caught an insect or some other kind of
prey. It flew back to the perch and impaled the prey on one of the thorns. It
repeated this process 3 or 4 times in the 5 minutes that I watched them and
took photographs. They eventually flew across the field to another thornbush.
I read in Sibley's Guide to Bird Life and Behavior that the female chooses the
nest and it appears this pair was house hunting. Also, the behavior of the
other could be either bringing food to its mate or "lardering". This is where
the male will store food by impaling prey on thorns. The larger the larder the
better the male's chances of attracting a mate. I have included some of the
photos at the link below:
http://www.pbase.com/opiehunter/loggerhead_shrike
Tom & Laverne Hunter
Russell County Bird Club
Lebanon, VA
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- » [bcbirdclub] Loggerhead Shrike Courtship Behavior Tazewell Co - Thomas Hunter
