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Outdoor Nova Scotia: "The Best Way to be Informed."
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Rare Brown Shrike
in Nova Scotia!
November 30th, 1997 Halifax, N.S. - The birding world is "a buzz" with the news that a rare brown shrike is visiting Halifax, Nova Scotia. The pale, rusty, brown bird with long black/brown tail feathers was first sighted on November 23rd at the Fairview Container Pier and has since taken up residence in a backyard at 17 Evans Street in Halifax, near the Bedford Highway. The brown shrike is a songbird, native to Asia. It's about 18 centimetres in length and feeds on small insects. It has an unusual habit of hanging its catch on the limbs or branches of trees as a means of storing its food. Since the bird was first spotted, dozens of birders have come to observe and study the animal, including one avid birder from the state of Alabama. According to Fulton Lavender of the Nova Scotia Birding Society the shrike "should be eating bugs in North Africa" this time of the year, not contending with snow and freezing temperatures in Nova Scotia. He suggests the chances of a shrike appearing in the province is about "a trillion to one." The Halifax sighting is the only recorded sighting of the bird, east of the Rookies. If the bird decides to winter in Nova Scotia, there are fears the shrike may not survive. To assist the rare bird in obtaining a stable food supply, the Nova Scotia Birding Society is asking the public for donations, that would allow the Society to purchase mealworms for the shrike. According to Mr. Lavender, about $100 would buy enough mealworms for the bird for the entire winter. For further information contact the Nova Scotia Birding Society at 902 455 4966 (Fulton Lavender); 902 852 2077 (Blake Maybank); or 902 429 7024 (Ian McLaren). For news updates on the brown shrike in Nova Scotia, surf the North American Rare Bird Alert website (re: Nova Scotia) or stay tuned to Outdoor Nova Scotia.
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