Wake Audubon’s 2010 Bird of the Year!
At quick glance the Loggerhead Shrike resembles a chunky Northern Mockingbird, but a closer look reveals a black mask, white rump, and large head. The "big-headed" appearance is the reason behind its name.
Shrikes are unique in that they are both top level predators and passerines. These birds feed on a variety of prey items, such as small birds and mammals, snakes, invertebrates, frogs, and salamanders. They have some raptor-like features, such as a hooked bill, but lack strong feet and talons for shredding prey. To make up for this, the shrike impales its prey on thorns or barbed wire fences. This behavior allows it to consume prey that is larger than it could otherwise handle, and may also be a way to impress a mate.
Loggerhead Shrikes are found year-round in North Carolina, in open areas such as pastures, open woods, fields, and mowed roadsides. Look for this bird on powerlines and fences around these areas. Pairs are highly territorial and stay together in the breeding territory all year, and solitary birds found in winter are generally believed to be migrants.
Like many species of grassland birds, Loggerhead Shrikes numbers have been falling across their range. Causes of this decline include habitat loss and pesticides. Wake Audubon hopes by selecting this bird as our bird of the year that we can focus some attention on its plight.
Debra Carr caught a video of the shrike, complete with song! Click here.
We are having a Shraiku contest as part of Wake Audubon's Year of the Loggerhead Shrike. Shraikus, like Haikus, are highly structured poems composed in 3 lines with a total of 17 syllables. Shraikus must have 5 syllables in lines 1 and 3 and 7 syllables in line 2. The theme of a shraiku must be the Loggerhead Shrike - evoking images or feelings associated with this amazing bird.
Enter the contest anytime from now until August 31st, 2010. You may enter as many times as you wish. Shraikus will be published on the Wake Audubon website. Member voting will take place on line during September, and the winners will be announced in October. There will be prizes for the top three Shraiku writers.
How to participate in our Shraiku contest:
- Write an original Haiku-style poem evoking the Loggerhead Shrike.
- Submit your Shraiku in the body of an email message using the following form:
Title
Author
Line 1: 5 syllables
Line 2: 7 syllables
Line 3: 5 syllables - After your Shraiku, please add your Audubon affiliation, such as Wake Audubon, another chapter of Audubon, Junior Naturalists, Audubon Adventure class student, or non-Audubon member.
- Address your entry to gerryluginbuhl@nc.rr.com and in the subject line put Shraiku contest.
- Now you may hit send on that email!
We wish you the best of luck.
May you win first prize.
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