The Cordova Times - Northern Shrikes

Vicious "tweety birds" with undeniable charisma

Posted 02/17/2012

by Robert Masolini - for the Cordova Times

I was 5 years old when I saw my first Northern Shrike. I was with my dad and brother out John Gorse road in the fall getting firewood and rabbits. My dad identified it and pointed it out. The Shrike was in a patch of alders next to the old gravel road. I already knew about these birds. Some of my earliest memories are of my parents showing me birds in the books, and seeing a Northern Shrike for the first time stuck with me. I can still remember the exact location from that sunny day. The bird was a typical adult, 9 to 10 inches long with a 12 to 13 inch wingspan and a mostly gray body with black wings and a black tail edged in white. Extending onto its face from its hooked black beak was a black “bandit mask” across its eyes. It constantly bobbed on its perch about 30 feet away. I think I remember it so well because of my familiarity with its lifestyle—they’re songbirds that prey on other birds, as well as rodents and other small animals. Vicious “tweety birds” with undeniable charisma. You can’t help but be fascinated with them.

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