Good Morning,

On Mon, 20 Mar Scott Ray posted, in part:

> Along I-82 just north of the Yakima Firing Center this afternoon I noted a
> small passerine fluttering slowly forward, several feet above the ground. The
> bird was headed directly toward me at first and its flight behavior gave the
> impression of a Meadowlark preparing to land with the characteristic slow
> fluttering flight. But as I got closer, it became obvious that this was not a
> Meadowlark but a Northern Shrike laboring to carry a small mammel in its
> *talons* (shrikes have no talons). Its laboring flight must have resulted from
> carrying such too heavy a mouse(?).

About 10 years ago, by the side of a road through an as yet undeveloped
canyon in Orange County California, I had a similar experience with a
Loggerhead Shrike carrying a House Sparrow. My impression at the time was
of a possibly crippled bird barely able to fly, until I realized it was really
a shrike carrying prey.

At least in the mid-80's Loggerhead Shrikes were easy to find in inland
Orange County (California). I haven't seen them nearly as frequently in
recent years, but on account of all the development I also haven't seen much
native habitat in the area either :(


--
Michael Patrick
University of Washington Medical Center
Department of Radiation Oncology, RC-08
1959 NE Pacific St.
Seattle, WA. 98195
mike at radonc.washington.edu
(206) 548-4536