Daily Archives: December 19, 2009

Shrike Update, Saturday noon

  Julie McCall reports: "This morning I went out to Disposal Road to look for the shrike, figuring if I didn't see it before the snow gets here, I never would.

  "I joined a group of friendly birders at the small parking area just past the Carillon at around 9 a.m., and they had seen the bird several times already. 

  " The bird was spotted again, and someone was kind enough to let me get views through their scope.  As previously reported, the shrike was spending its time among trees behind the pond. The bird was very active this morning, and by 9:30 had headed off in the vague direction of Valley Brook.

  "It's quite a pretty bird, and I found myself wishing I had a digiscoping set-up, because in the overcast light it really stood out from the surrounding brown branches, phrags, and leaves.

   "A quick walk to the environmental center and back to Disposal Road yielded some mallards, canada geese, a bufflehead, white-throated sparrows, many robins, and a pair of downy woodpeckers that were very perturbed by my existence.

   "There was also at least one red-tailed hawk on Disposal Road.  It was perched on a post near the Erie landfill as I came in, and I spotted one kiting over the Kingsland landfill on my way out." (Thanks, Julie!)

Shrike News

Mike Britt reports:

    "The Northern Shrike continued Friday behind the retention pond along Disposal Road. At one point, Chris Takacs and I watched it tail-chase a Mockingbird for a good 30 seconds.

   "Other birds in the Meadowlands Friday included N. Harriers along Disposal, and the Mill Creek Marsh/Point area, an adult Bald Eagle at Mill Creek Point, and Mill Creek Marsh was loaded with sparrows (including a handful of Fox and a single immature White-crowned) and RC Kinglets."

(Thanks, Mike!)

 Please e-mail Jim Wright here if you see the shrike, and I will update the blog.