Please click here to return to my Homepage.
©1997 The information you receive on-line from the author is protected by the copyright laws of the United States. The copyright laws prohibit any copying, redistributing, retransmitting, or repurposing of any copyright-protected material.
Questions, comments: E-mail the author at
| Date: Mon, 25 May 1998 From: Verne Garrison <vgarris@abelink.com> Subject: Shrike in Illinois |
| The past three years Loggerhead Shrikes have visited my place. I now have three adults and last year an adult and two small ones. Maybe these came back this year. I have four acres that I mow with a riding mower under larger hackberry, hickory and oak trees. These birds perch on a dead limb, fly towards me as I kick up moths and other insectes ahead of the mower. They come straight at me grab a bug and land on a limb ony a few feet away. Quite a show proud to have them here. Verne Garrison; Elkhart, IL http://www.lincoln-il.com/garrison/ |
| From: "Brenda xxxxx To: catawba@hotmail.com About Butcher Birds Thu, 8 Oct 1998 |
| Was reading your note about the
loggerhead shrike /// or Butcher Bird ... While the description you give of the butcher birds actions matches exactly with the species that is found in Australia --- this is definitely NOT the same bird. And indeed it's hard to believe that the actions attributed to the butcher bird are indeed the same as the loggerhead shrike at all. The Australian Butcher Bird looks like a small king fisher --- it has a fat head and a long beak. While the head is similar, the butcher bird beaks on a bird of same size is about 1" to 1 1/2" long. And the actions of these guys coming to you when they are nesting? Our family has been staging all out attacks on anything that moves on the street. We all have been attacked and are bearing the scars to prove it ... blood seems to be a common thing on our street! ;-) Anyways, I did enjoy your article -brenda |
From catawba@hotmail.com to Brenda
Dear Ms. Brenda xxxxx,
Thank you for taking the time to email me interesting and educational information about Australian Butcher Birds and for your kind comment about my webpage. I enjoyed reading your letter and learning about your Shrike family.
If I post your comments for the benefit of others who chance to read my webpage, would you prefer that I delete your email address and any other information that might identify you?
My Loggerhead Shrikes had painfully sharp claws and beaks, but were very shy of humans, and never attacked anyone (as mocking birds do when defending their nests).
Generally Shrikes seem tolerant of Blue Jays and other aggressive birds which sometimes harass Shrikes and other birds.
Loggerhead Shrikes have been a blessing to my gardens. They seem to be exclusively carnivorous and feed on pests, like mice and insects, so never damage crops, like almost all other common birds, particularly the countless mocking birds in my neighborhood.
Like all great citizens, Shrikes ridgidly avoid trespassing on neighboring birds' territories, and persistenly defend their own family's food supply against avian thieves.
A Brown Thrusher watching my Loggerhead Shrike repeatedly charge an unflight-worthy and adamant Robin trespasser feeding in my Shrikes territory put an end to my Shrike's merciless attacks against the injured thief by charging my Shrike. My Shrike had been unable to convince the Robin to leave anyway, and now another bird was taking sides against him, politically speaking.
I frequently observe educated birds rescue uneducated birds (of the same or different species) from hidden dangers by charging them and then flying away. Most uneducated birds understand and move to safety after such warnings. If the uneducated bird is a friend of the warning bird it usually follows its rescuer to safety, but may at first misunderstand and attempt to play chase and tag games with the educated bird friend.
Do humans and birds inherit similar instincts from our common reptilian ancestors? I think a recent program about genetics claimed we share about 30% of our genes with microscopic worms.
The personalities of individual shrikes seem to vary as much as those of any species.
Shrikes' vocal language includes loud warning clicks, calling sounds, etc. and various very distinctive, easily recognizable, interesting and beautiful songs.
After they were fully grown my shrike once called his five or six youngsters around me and repeatedly sang us a rather long and beautiful prayerful like song (for identification, like family crests?).
Since I helped him feed his young, it was more difficult for my Shrike to drive his first offspring of the summer away from his territory after they were old enough to fend for themselves, to make room for that summer's second nest of babies. After I watched him chase them to the horizon I usually never saw them again. Much later I heard one or two mournfully singing only a few hundred meters away.
One even returned and hungrily ate out of my hand after his father died, but seems to have starved during a very cold winter because I was unable to feed him for a week or two.
Did he starve because I made it unnecessary for him to learn from his parents how to hunt? I also wonder if overcoming a bird's instinctive avoidance of people adversely affects its survival.
I haven't had the time or patience to try to overcome the avoidance instincts of another shrike since my last one died.
Sincerely,
Catawba