Short food supplies in Canada this year have brought a new predator to the Granite State winter.
The unassuming Northern Shrike. (Courtesy Michael Marsh)
I was sitting at my desk the other day when I heard the chickadees at the bird feeder suddenly making quite the racket. This usually means a predator is nearby — birds often give alarm calls to warn everyone that danger is near. That threat can be as mundane as the local housecat or something more exciting like that typical terror of the tube feeder — the sharp-shinned hawk.
But this winter has been bringing us many unusual visitors from way up north. Whenever food supplies up in Canada crash, it brings waves of what we consider exotic songbirds to our birdfeeders. And, along with the seed-eaters come the eaters of the seed eaters — predators like the unassuming gray bird with the black mask that was causing all this ruckus.
Normally, one expects hawks or even owls to be the main threat. But the hunter in question is in fact, a songbird that eats other songbirds — in other words, a shrike.
Even though it often tries to pass itself off as a harmless mockingbird, which it closely resembles, this particular shrike didn’t fool the chickadees and nuthatches. They know that, in addition to insects and mice, this “butcherbird” as it’s sometimes called, will gladly feast on feathered fare as well. It gets its nickname name from its grisly habit of impaling prey on thorns or other sharp objects until it has time to eat them.
People have been reporting shrikes from all corners of the state, so keep you’re eye open. They like to hunt from high perches and are surprisingly small. The northern shrike, our most common variety, is no bigger than a robin. But if there’s any red on its breast, you can bet it belongs to someone else!
