Yesterday morning I found a Loggerhead Shrike on one of the private properties
in my neighborhood near Bluemont in western Loudoun Co that I have permission
to periodically visit for the Loudoun Co Bird Atlas. It was way out of sight
of the road in a large wetlands bordering a stream. I'd gone to the field with
several target species (the shrike wasn't one of them) but up to that point had
only found one of them, Swamp Sparrows, of which there were several.
Interestingly enough I first caught sight of it when it was
fighting/interacting with a Northern Mockingbird on the other side of the
wetlands, which with all the recent moisture, was way too wet to cross in that
area without high boots. Both birds finally perched on one of the shrubby
willows where a Song Sparrow joined them. After crossing the wetlands I was
able to find it two more times as a result of its interaction with the
mockingbird. The mocker was ferocious about defending its berry bushes and was
more aggressive than the shrike - something I haven't seen before between these
two species (I don't remember a case when it wasn't the other way around).
The shrike had the crisp plumage of an adult and not a hatch-year bird.
While shrikes use to nest in my neighborhood and, in fact, this very field was
the last location in which they nested, they haven't been documented doing so
since 2003. During the 2009 Calmes Neck CBC one was found on Great Country
Farm (about two miles away) on Jan 4. I've got my fingers crossed this one
will stay until the CBC (guess its too much to hope that it will nest here next
year).
Joe Coleman, near Bluemont, western Loudoun Co
PS I wasn't able to relocate the shrike this morning when I went back with my
camera.
