Northern Shrike / Lanius excubitor

Yesterday, 1 January 2016, I took part in the annual Fish Creek Provincial Park New Year's Day Bird Count. Unlike all the other recent Counts, this one was just half a day. It was SO cold when we all arrived at the parking lot, despite "only" being -12C (the rest of the cold must have been the windchill). The sun was shining and we had a very enjoyable walk.

This previous photo shows part of the group at Raven Rocks, walking along the frozen creek. Normally, I never walk on any water source that is frozen - I just never trust it, ha! Looks pretty solid in that shot, doesn't it? Well, myself and another birder found out otherwise, when the ice layer cracked and one foot disappeared into empty space below! Birding can be dangerous, lol! We were looking for a Townsend's Solitaire that can sometimes be found in that area.

Shortly after, we spotted a very distant bird that looked like it might be a Shrike, but then we weren't sure as it was so far away. Turned out that it was a Northern Shrike, a bird that I hadn't seen for ages, so I was very happy, even though this photo is rather pathetic. Though it looks a small, innocent bird, it has the nasty habit of impaling its prey on branches or barbed-wire. "The bird's two most conspicuous behaviours – storing food animals by impaling them on thorns, and using exposed tree-tops or poles to watch the surrounding area for possible prey."

"A predatory songbird, the Northern Shrike breeds in taiga and tundra and winters in southern Canada and the northern United States. It feeds on small birds, mammals, and insects, sometimes impaling them on spines or barbed wire fences." From AllAboutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Shrike/id

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_grey_shrike

After the Count, quite a few of the participants, me included, gathered at a Tim Horton's to hand in their lists and to chat over coffee and lunch about what had been seen. Always makes for an enjoyable time.

This is our leader's final list of bird species seen in Fish Creek Provincial Park on the New Year's Day Bird Count, 2016. We had divided up into three groups, so each group may not have seen every species listed.

"Fish Creek Prov. Park New Years Day Bird Count, Bebo Grove to Raven Rocks, Bridge #6. 0900-1215, 01Jan2016. Sunny, W. wind 15kph, -12 to -3°c. Fish Creek 98% frozen. 30 cm snow on ground.

Best birds on our territory were the two Mountain Chickadees that Josias Grest has been seeing and feeding since 23Dec. Best Count area bird was a Hermit Thrush, first ever. It was at the Stormwater outlet, about ¼ km W of Macleod Trail, on the S side of Fish Creek, where we have seen American Dipper, Song Sparrow, Wilsons Snipe and Killdeer in past winters.

Below is the list and numbers seen on our area today.

1. Canada Goose-16
2. Sharp-shinned Hawk-1
3. Merlin-1
4. Great Horned Owl-1
5. Downy Woodpecker-15
6. Hairy Woodpecker-1
7. Northern Flicker-1
8. Pileated Woodpecker-1
9. Northern Shrike-1
10. Black-billed Magpie-20
11. Common Raven-23
12. Black-capped Chickadee-130
13. MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE-2
14. Boreal Chickadee-13
15. Red-breasted Nuthatch-27, including Bob the white-headed leucistic individual.
16. White-breasted Nuthatch-1
17. Brown Creeper-2
18. Townsends Solitaire-2
19. Bohemian Waxwing-2500+
20.Pine Grosbeak-20
21. White-winged Crossbill-80
22.PINE SISKIN-1

Red Squirrel-7+
Eastern Gray Squirrel-1
White-tailed Deer-5"