A warm and sunny Nov. day. There was no way I was going to stay home and do chores today. You could say I was "shriking" my duties again as I have been overdoing the birding and neglecting the ever-growing list of "things-to-do." Today was going to be my "find-a-shrike" day. I still hadn't seen a Shrike this fall and the Northern Shrike was still on my photo wish-list. I've had 2 other such days in the past few weeks, but struck out both times. Was it going to be 3rd time lucky or 3 strikes-no shrikes and you're out?
Winter's here ... It was clear and sunny but still cool this morning. I had to scrape the ice off my windshield before I got started. The sun was up but still low so I decided to check San Malo, French Creek, and Admiral's Lagoon. With high tide, there weren't many birds around. There were 2 Great Blue Herons huddling in the water at French Creek. I decided to take a few pictures just to warm the camera up. Just up the creek, I spotted the King. I don't think I've seen him since spring. He was busy preening himself in the sun. That was worth a few more pictures. Did you notice the small feet (size 1) of the King? Apparently, Kingfishers can't walk. What other birds can't walk? Admiral's was even quieter than French Creek - just the occasional duck flying by and a pair of Bald Eagles catching a few rays. My "shrike-search" at Kaye Road was a failure although I almost got a photo of a Winter Wren. My next stop was the Nanoose Estuary. I flushed a lot of ducks and found a couple of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Song Sparrows, Spotted Towhees, and House Finches but no Shrike. On my way back, I walked along the pond looking for a Snipe. I was almost ready to call it a day when a brownish bird landed on a nearby willow. It was a Northern Shrike. I'd never seen a brown Shrike before, but I was pretty sure it was an immature bird. Despite the brown colour and only a faint black mask, the sharp-hooked upper bill was distinctively Shrike-like. Later, my Sibley's guide confirmed it as a "first winter" bird. The Shrike flew down into the grass and popped up with a grasshopper in its bill. It proceeded to manipulate the grasshopper in its bill then grabbed it with its claw. Then it was back into the mouth, down the hatch, and that was that. 5 minutes later, another trip down to the grass and another snack. It looked like a black wasp. That was it. The show was over. Just one more picture for the road. The Shrike went one way and I went the other. NANAIMO - BACKYARD WILDBIRD & NATURE STORE SAVE-ON FOODS (WOODGROVE) SAVE-ON FOODS (COUNTRY CLUB) CHAPTERS FALCONER BOOKS COLE'S PORT ALBERNI - CLOCKTOWER GALLERY COURTENAY - GRAHAM'S JEWELLERS SIDNEY - VICTORIAN BIRD HOUSE COMOX - BLUE HERON BOOKS BOWSER - LIGHTHOUSE GIFTS DEEP BAY - SAANICH - WILD BIRDS UNLIMITED VICTORIA - BOLEN'S BOOKS MUNRO'S CAMPBELL RIVER - CAMPBELL RIVER MUSEUM DUNCAN - VOLUME 1 BOOKSTORE CHEMAINUS - LITTLE SHOP OF NOVELS LADYSMITH - SALAMANDER BOOKS (FRASER & NAYLOR) NANOOSE - SCHOONER COVE MARINA SOOKE - SOOKE HARBOUR HOUSE
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