I had come back out to photograph a hawk perched near the feeders.  My
usual dilemna -- cooper's/sharpie?
I was veering towards immature sharpie because of the straight edged
tail,  and the set of the head,
but I wasn't sure and wanted a photo.

As always, by the time I'd rounded up a camera, the bird in question
was gone, although it had been perched in that
spot for over 15 minutes.  My dog was snuffling around virtually under
it's perch, but it didn't move.

But,  more interesting yet, from approximately the same spot, out from
the shrubs burst a crow and a Northern
Shrike, in the midst of some sort of disagreement.

After a few seconds, after gaining elevation, the crow flew off and
the shrike landed in the top of the
tallest tree where it stayed for about 30 seconds, readjusting it's
position about four times before
flying off to the fields behind the shrub/tree line. ( I took a
picture of the perched bird, but I expect it
to be a dot.)

The shrub line is next to a split rail fence on which I sprinkle bird
seed every day, and a few feet from
one of my feeders. It is also the shrub line into which the shrike
disappeared yesterday.

There were also the fresh remains of a rabbit 20 feet away.  I know
that shrikes aren't known for regularly
depending on carrion, but perhaps it was an added attraction, at least
for the crows. It certainly was
for the dog, who consumed the remains.

Inga Schmidt
Chagrin River Road at the Geauga/Cuyahoga county line

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