Threatened songbird numbers are holding steady
REGINA For two decades there had not been a single sighting of the loggerhead shrike in the Regina area, but the threatened bird has made a comeback in recent years.
The long absence was broken in 2011 when one pair of loggerhead shrikes was spotted, said Rebecca Magnus, habitat stewardship coordinator for Nature Saskatchewan. Every year since, there have been a few pairs spotted around the city.
The migrating songbird has seen depleted numbers across the Prairies. These birds — also known as butcher birds for their practice of impaling their prey on sharp objects like barbed wire or thorns — migrate to the province from the southern United States and Mexico in late April or early May.
“They love the shelter belts and thorny shrubs that are provided along pastures. They love the barbed wire to help them with their hunting,” said Magnus.
Possible reasons for the falling numbers are increased pesticide use and a loss of habitat, said Magnus. She said shelter belts — the rows of bushes and trees between fields — are increasingly being torn down. These rows of bushes are a favourite nesting place for the birds.
Magnus said Nature Saskatchewan is working with rural landowners to preserve habitat. She encourages anyone who spots a loggerhead shrike or an insect impaled on a sharp object to call 1-800-667-4668 to help Nature Saskatchewan track the number of these birds in the province.