I headed over to Pineland Farms in New Gloucester this morning in search of migrant Snow Buntings. It certainly felt like a day to see an Arctic species – a stiff northwest wind blew unabated through the refrozen open fields of the farm.

No Snow Buntings today, but my consolation prize was a great study of a Northern Shrike. I’m a big fan of “Butcherbirds,” so seeing my third shrike in five days was exciting. I came upon this bird at the edge of field, as it hunted in the brush of a gully. I sat on the cold ground for about 10 minutes – much to the chagrin of my tailbone – watching the shrike hunt. Although I did not see it catch anything, it was still a great bird to observe.

Shrikes are fascinating birds. These wanna-be hawks are quite fierce predators, despite being smaller than a Northern Mockingbird. Their black, white, and gray plumage looks mockingbird-like, and their long-tailed, bull-necked appearance while perched atop the tallest lookout in the vicinity is also quite mockingbird-like. Despite these similarities, however, the species are not closely related. In fact, the shrike’s closest relatives in this continent are the Vireos.

The Shrike is an efficient predator of small mammals, birds, and large insects using it’s strong, hooked beak. In winter, many of the Northern Shrikes in Maine feed mostly on mice, voles, and shrews, with the occasional small bird mixed in. They prefer mostly-open habitats, such as farms and large marshes, which provides a choice of prime hunting perches, such as fenceposts and small trees. In Maine, Northern Shrikes are regular in winter, but they are an irruptive migrant. In some winters, more individuals of this species travel farther south than in other winters. Food resources are the main reason for this. When there is less food up north, we have more Northern Shrikes down south (yes, Maine is “down south” to a Northern Shrike, as they breed high in the Arctic. This winter, Shrikes have been more common in Maine than is usual. This probably means food resources were in shorter supply up north. The fact that many of this winter’s sightings were of juveniles means that it was a successful breeding season, so there may be more shrikes to move south. Plus, the mild winter and lack of snow cover has allowed many shrikes to overwinter in Maine, as opposed to being forced even further south.

On the other hand, the more southerly Loggerhead Shrike is an extreme rarity in Maine, usually in the spring as overshooting migrants or of wandering birds in the fall. The Loggerhead Shrike, found throughout most of the southern 1/3 of the U.S. is still common in many places, but it is rapidly declined in much of the East, and is essentially now gone as a breeding from the Northeastern U.S. Habitat changes (reforestation and development of farmland) are likely one of the leading causes of this decline. However, even in some areas with seemingly appropriate habitat, Loggerhead Shrikes are no longer being found.

Shrikes get their nickname “Butcherbird” from their habitat of storing uneaten prey. A Field Mouse, for example, may way as much or even more than a Shrike, so it cannot be eaten in one sitting. Therefore, the Butcherbird will store the leftovers by impaling it on a thorn bush, barbed wire fence, etc. They will often add prey items to this “larder” in order to have food available when prey is not (such as during extended bouts of severe weather. I have also read that there is evidence that a male Northern Shrike builds up a larder as a way to show off to the ladies – proving what a great provider he will be to a nest-full of hungry mouths! I remember my lifer Northern Shrike in New Jersey’s Great Swamp – where they seem to show up every couple of years. After watching the bird fly in and out of a multiflora rose with prey items, we walked over to the bush to find a shrike-buffet of half-eaten mice, birds, and a large moth!