Date: 4/16/24 11:28 am From: 'A. Robbins' via NHBirds <nhbirds...> Subject: [NHBirds] Re: Loggerhead Shrike sightings in NH
Thanks for the great find, Ian.
We were able to see the Loggerhead Shrike today.
A little history of George Robbins' Loggerhead Shrike....
He was a college student at UNH when he found it in Durham in 1974.
He was all excited to see a shrike in NH, since he was hoping it was a
Northern Shrike,
which would have been a life bird for him.....
But, he was actually a bit disappointed !!!
to discover that, instead, it was JUST a Loggerhead, since he had seen
plenty of them
while growing up in Maryland.
George had no clue how rare a Loggerhead Shrike was in NH until
he got back to Ornithology class and his professor, Art Borror, told him
how amazing the record was.
So, this is his second Loggerhead Shrike for the state, with his first only
50 years ago....
Andrea and George Robbins
On Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 11:00:27 AM UTC-4 Iain MacLeod wrote:
> I'm glad lots of people got to see the shrike in Laconia yesterday. And,
> hopefully more will see it today. I did a little digging in ebird on
> previous sightings in the state, and in the breeding bird atlas for some
> additional records that haven't made it to ebird. Most of the modern-day
> records have been one-day (or actually one-minute) wonders and single
> observer records. Apparently only one has been photographed in the state
> prior to yesterday. Thousands of photographs were taken of the bird
> yesterday.
>
> Loggerheads used to breed in the state until about 1910. After that it
> became a rare vagrant.
>
> The following records are in ebird:
> One is East Conway in 1951
> Two records from Dublin – in 1957, 1970.
> Monroe ("nesting pair"!) in 1961
> Strafford County (seen by George Robbins only) in 1974
> Newington (seen by Steve Mirick only) in 1997
> Hillsborough (photographed by Robin Feustel only) 2020
>
> The Atlas of Breeding Birds in NH lists the following records that are not
> in ebird:
> Lancaster 1963
> Shelbourne 1971
> Canterbury 1974
> Hebron 1980
> Sunapee 1982
> Bridgewater 1983
> Carroll 1986
>
> So, enjoy this very cooperative bird now. It may be a while before we see
> one again in NH.
>
> *Iain MacLeod*
> Executive Director
> Squam Lakes Natural Science Center
> PO Box 173, 23 Science Center Road,
> Holderness, NH 03245
> 603-968-7194 x123 <(603)%20968-7194>
> www.nhnature.org
>
>
