Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 14:49:09 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Bill Schreitz Subject: Northern Shrike at Patuxent NAS MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I finally managed to get to the Patuxent Air Station today for a few minutes before work and was incredibly lucky. I arrived a little before 6:30am and just after the rain stopped. I registered for a pass which Kyle Rambo kindly set up for me and found the environmental center. By quarter to seven I left for the corn fields and hedge rows with excellent directions from Doug Lister. Within twenty minutes I was staring in awe a Northern Shrike, calling from the middle of a 12' tree, surrounding by a dozen or so blackbirds. I was expecting to see a lone sentinel, viewing his prey from afar. Whether or not this was an alternate feeding style I don't know. I waited a few minutes while the blackbirds (both redwings and grackles) moved casually around the tree. Then suddenly, this calm shrike became excited and chased the blackbirds out of the tree and beyond. I search for it again but the fog settled in and I gave up. A life bird for me. Bill WILLIAM B SCHREITZ CABINETMAKER INC 1806 VIRGINIA STREET ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND 21041 cabmkrwbs@erols.com ========================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ========================================================================= ===========================================================================