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Outdoor Nova Scotia: "The Best Way to be Informed."
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Shrike
Believed to Have Died! December 5th, 1997 Halifax, N.S. - The rare brown shrike that attracted hundreds of birders from the region and many parts of the United States, is believed to have died as a result of a winter snowstorm in the Halifax region on December 2nd. A spokesperson for The Nova Scotia Birding Society which has been monitoring the activities of the shrike, says the bird had not been seen for three consecutive days "and given the reliability (of the bird) during the preceding nine days, it is assumed to have succumbed to the wet, cold, windy storm." Blake Maybank noted that the Society estimates that more than 300 people observed the bird during its brief visit to Nova Scotia. The shrike was last seen at 17 Evans Avenue in Halifax where it had been observed on numerous occasions. Meanwhile, the Society continues to carefully monitor the sighting of yet another very rare bird in the province. A corn crake, last observed in eastern North America in 1928, was sighted in Shelburne County near Matthew's Lake, one of several excellent birding destinations in south western Nova Scotia. The bird was first observed on Friday, November 28th and made a second appearance on Sunday, November 30th - the crake has not been seen since. Mr. Maybank explained that the crake would be more apt to survive the severe weather in Nova Scotia than the shrike sighted in Halifax. The often elusive corn crake is rare even in Europe where the bird inhabits hay and grain fields. A corn crake is a member of the rail family characterized by a short neck, long legs and long toes. The corn crake has a large rusty wing patch and buffy body.
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