All,
After getting input from a number of birders, reviewing the photos etc I am
fairly certain the Shrike in Rockingham county is a Northern Shrike (NSHR). In
view of my lengthy previous post on this bird I will try to keep this one
short.
Northern Shrike is the better fit for the following reasons:
1. Bill length, size of hook, and pale coloring on first half of lower
mandible point to NSHR2. Extensive barring on underparts and brownish cast to
underparts combined with smooth light gray back and crown point squarely to
Northern Shrike. 3. Head shape is not rounded and doesn't give the bird the
"cute" look of a Loggerhead4. Narrow black mask with white above eye and white
across and above the bill point to NSHR. 5. The bird's behavior also suggested
NSHR as it frequently was perched at the very tip top of the a tall tree and it
was observed to pump its tail on multiple occasions. Not sure how exclusive
either of these points are but the literature stresses these two behaviors as
typical of NSHR.
for a lengthier explanation see recent ebird report on this bird.
Good birding!
William Leigh leightern@xxxxxxx
Bridgewater, Virginia
