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Re: Northern Shrike - Baltimore Co. 12/22/07

From:

Steve Sanford

Reply-To:

Steve Sanford

Date:

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:30:09 -0500

As Bob Ringler indicated, Mark Linardi found a Northern Shrike at 
Cromwell Valley Park (Baltimore County east of Towson) about 8:30 this 
morning. Mark called me and I zipped out there.

when I arrived Mark had not seen it again for over an hour, but fairly 
soon we got excellent close looks at it in a large bush beyond a 
telephone pole about 100 feet east of the entrance road on the trail 
paralleling the south side of the stream (the side closer to Cromwell 
Bridge Road). This was where Mark first saw the bird. Mark got some 
good close-up pictures which he may try to post.

The broad white area above the black mask was very evident. The black 
did not extend over the bill. The bill was clearly long with a very 
prominent hook. The back was pale gray and the breast white except I 
could see a faint hint of brownish streaking.

After we called the sighting into Bob Ringler, the shrike spent its 
longest time in one place in the short Christmas tree-type spruces on 
the left (west side) of the Sherwood Farm entrance road* to Cromwell 
Valley Park, between the stream and Cromwell Valley Road.

The circuit that the shrike seemed to repeat was clockwise along a 
rectangle about 200 feet wide centered on the Sherwood Farm entrance 
road extending from the stream towards Cromwell Bridge Road for about 
500 feet.

Mark and I left about 1:30. Bob Ringler, Pete Webb and others were 
still looking and will hopefully have some news to add.

*the first park entrance coming from the Beltway

Steve Sanford
Randallstown, Baltimore County
scartan^at^verizon^dot^net