Date: 8/18/26 6:42 pm From: Frank Enders (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Loggerhead Shrike sightings way down this summer.
I would be willing to bet next spring and summer will have many fewer locations with shrikes present. Let me say only 20% of sites will be occupied. I could be wrong.
But, within about 10 miles I usually have 8-12 sites occupied (by at least one bird, the probability of seeing a bird at a site where the species is continuing during the breeding season is maybe 10%). The birds might be out at the edge of woodlands rather than on powerlines along roads where easy to notice.
At the moment there are only 2-3 spots where I have noticed a shrike in the last two to four weeks. It might be nice if I could figure out what times of day and weather are associated with me seeing a shrike along the road. Don't know if I have time and gas to do that, the shrikes not likely to be seen during rainstorms, nor early nor late in the day.
I'm thinking the drought may have knocked back the population.
There are a few sightings of shrikes northeast of me, around Little Texas In Virginia (Sussex County). And a string of shrike sightings down NC33 over the years even down to the gas stations north of Greenville, NC These are just birds which happen to be where I have need to drive for various purposes. I keep waiting to stumble upon some noticeable change in shrike populations/sightings, but no such luck.
I think this last breeding season may show a big dent in shrike sightings for the coming year or two.
Had I a smartphone, I might put sightings into eBird, but just writing down all the birds I see would be quite a burden.
It would help if Hotmail and gmail would stop randomly erasing some of my overlong emails.
Frank Enders
Frank Enders, Halifax, NC
I do not have time for e-mail. Nor, I think, do you. Try calling 252-308-3443---good luck with that.
