While the weather has been anything but Stellar for Hawk Banding , it has allowed us to get a few nights in for Owl Banding . We are now over 100 new Saw-whets for the season and it is slowing down to 1 or 2 a night with nights of none aswell.
When I went Banding on Thursday night I found our Goshawk Trap had been setoff. After setting up the nets and Audiolure, I checked the Trap . As I approached I couldn't see anything sitting(using my Headlamp) in it and was about to think that it was triggered by the wind. Just as I got up beside it something moved and jumped around.......................what.............a Northern Shrike??????????????????
Shrikes may be small, but are aggressive! They are a "Songbird" and have a very pretty song. They look similar to a Northern Mockingbird in colour and size. They are also nicknamed the "Butcher Bird" due to the habit of impaling its Prey on the Thorns of Hawthorn Bushes and Barbed wire Fences. Yes you read correctly "its Prey" ! They are Carnivores that hunt for Mice, and Small Birds in the winter, and will add large Insects(Dragonflies,Grasshoppers) , small Frogs and Snakes in the Summer.
Well this was totally unexpected as the Trap is designed to be triggered by something about "Crow Sized " not "Blue Jay Size". Well it was a Bird species that I had not banded before, so that is what I did!
Now I had prior warnings about how "Nasty" they could be, so I took no chances and wore Leather Gloves. It didn't seem to aggressive at first, but eventually it was trying to bite and you could feel it through the Glove. After banding I put it in a Box to keep for the Night as it was Dark . The next morning it was released, but not before drawing some "Blood" first!
I did also catch a couple Saw-whets also!
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