Subject: [Tweeters] Re: RFI:Brown Shrike Location
Date: Jan 3 22:45:44 2011
From: Igor Uhrovic - birdtrekker at yahoo.com


Hi Mike,

I have been gathering info about the shrike location. I copied emails from Calbirds. Hope other fellow WA birders don't mind this long message.
Best regards,
Igor


Subject: Brown Shrike today 12/19
From: Rob Fowler <migratoriusfwlr AT gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 14:31:32 -0800
Hi all,
In between downpours, Larry Maurin, Scott and Linda Terrill, others and
myself got great views of the Brown Shrike starting at about 1115. The bird
was once again present in between the 2 ponds. We all viewed it from right
around the end of the trail at the base of the bluffs. There's a nice higher
spot here that is just north of the obvious pipe below the bluffs and made
for some nice scope views. Larry found it within five minutes of arriving to this area in between the
ponds. Scan, scan and scan again.........

Rob Fowler
McKinleyville, CA

Monday, 29 November, 2010
o: nwcalbird AT yahoogroups.com
Subject: [nwcalbird] Brown Shrike, McKinleyville, Humboldt Co. 11/21/10

To all,

Lauren & I found a Brown Shrike in the foredunes opposite the Bank Swallow
colony between the Vista Overlook & the mouth of the Mad River in
McKinleyville. We found the bird at approximately 10:30am.

The bird was moving between the scrubby red alders and cattails on the west
side of the small pond below the swallow colony.

The bird had extremely bright brown tail, back and crown with bold black
mask, the underparts were warm, buffy white with clearly brownish flank
barring.

Gary

**********
I am reposting Rob's email about the shrike. I think it more or less hits the
nail on the head. Main tips for seeing the bird: Try scanning the marshy area
and stunted alders from the dunes and working your way up and down the area
that way. Stay out of the bird's and other birders way by not bushwhacking and
thrashing the habitat. Hanging out in the vegetation where the bird has been
seen will likely only result in making the bird skulk. Finding this bird takes
a lot of patience, luck, and time. People should not assume that the bird has
left simply because there are a few days of negative reports.



The juvenile Brown Shrike was seen briefly today at around 1100-1130 in the
same general area as reported previously (Clam Beach, south of the Vista Point, near
McKinleyville). Specifically, I had it at the southeast edge of the southernmost pond.
As would seem typical with this bird, it mysteriously vanished, even though ten or more
birders descended on the location immediately. For anyone coming from the north,
to access the site--TAKE RUBBER BOOTS--you'll go past Trinidad on 101 and down the hill
past the Crannell and Central Ave. (of nearby McKinleyville) exits, go up a hill, and get off
just before the top at a signed vista point with a big parking lot. This is about an hour and fifteen
minutes or so s. of Crescent City. There is a hole in the fence just off the sw.
corner of the lot, from which you access a nice bike path that goes a few
hundred meters down toward the beach (to the north). At the bottom of the
trail, walk out into the dunelands southward toward the wetland. Don't stay on the
footpath that runs at the base of the bluff. The Brown Shrike has been seen in
low scrubby alders and other veg mostly along the seaward side of the main pond
that's just below the main sandstone bluff. This is roughly in the zone where
the beachgrass and actual dunes end and the persistent wetland becomes...well,
where it's mostly underfoot. When it was relocated last week the bird was
flushed from the ground twice, and the literature says they eat insects, so it
may not perch consistently high up like other shrikes. The more eyes the
better. Hopefully this weekend will see an influx of the curious and greater odds for
finding it. Again the local reports are at 707-822-5666. When you call the Bird
Box hit 2 to get the most recent messages, 5 to repeat, 4 to go back, and 6 for
subsequent calls.
David Fix
Arcata, California

Subject: Brown shrike 20101203
From: Elias Elias <fabflockfinder AT gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2010 17:34:25 -0800
Hi all

The brown shrike was last seen this afternoon about 16:00. It was north of the
north pond. That would put it directly below the vista point caltrans rest
area. I was standing on the rip-rap road at the toe of the bluff looking west
toward the dunes. The hyperlink below ought to take you to a google map with a
marker about where the bird was.

If I could give you any free advice it would be to get elevation. Every time I
saw it, it was perched about 0.7 to 1 meter off the ground in alders about 1.5
to 2.0 meters tall. Therefor making it difficult if you weren't up a dune or
slightly up the bluff.

The bird is small and doesn't act like a loggerhead. It is surprisingly pale
and can be overlooked for a pale alder leaf. It remains stationary for up to 2
minutes (n=3). It has rapid wingbeats and appears to have the wingloading of a
song sparrow doing it's quiver wing flutter flight. You know, like they do at
courtship time. Hope this helps. Waltz across the dunes. Or along the eastern edge
of the ponds at the toe of the bluff. Step step pause to scan with binoculars. Repeat.
Good luck. It's a cool bird.

Elias
Arcata CA
Walkie talkie 707-633-8833

Subject: Brown Shrike continues in Humboldt 12/3
From: Rob Fowler <migratoriusfwlr AT gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2010 14:20:31 -0800
Hi all,
Daryl Coldren and Leslie Tucci refound the Brown Shrike this morning around
1100. The bird was refound by them at the north end of the northernmost pond
so it's still obviously ranging over the large area of habitat.

Couple tips on finding the bird:

1) Almost every time it's been found it has been on a sunny or partly cloudy
day. Despite intensive searching most of the time it has been present it has
ONLY been found on day's like this.

2) It obviously is not around when large groups of birders are all over the
place looking for it. I would recommend birders wanting to chase the bird to
meet up on nice days around 0830 at the Vista Overlook parking lot and walk
down together and stay together. It does nobody any good to have people
walking all over the place. If it's raining or threatening to rain stay
home.

3) Once you get to the north end of the first pond start scanning all the
habitat intensely while walking along VERY slowly, heading south. It seems
best to walk on the west side of the ponds. Both today and on 11/28 this is
how the bird was refound.

4) Today and on 11/28 the bird was observed from some distance. It doesn't
seem to respond well to people wanting to get closer to it to get better
looks or photos. The bird has already been photographically documented well
so look first and if you're lucky enough to get photos then great but don't
rush the bird so that you can get your dream shot or full scope/binocular
view. Be happy enough that you are seeing it. Today while Leslie and Daryl
were viewing the bird they stayed their distance and were able to refind the
bird on at least 4, and maybe more, occasions. They said that there was
somebody out there walking a dog and when that person showed up the shrike
disappeared....not sure if they refound it after that or not. This is
similar to our experience on 11/28.

So, hopefully these tips will help others that haven't seen it yet get on
this bird.
Rob Fowler
McKinleyville, CA

P.S. Let us know how your folks did.