Wildlife Preservation Canada would like to extend a huge thank-you to everyone who was involved in the 2011 Eastern Loggerhead Shrike field season through surveying and reporting sightings. Your sighting reports are very important for confirming the number of breeding pairs and single birds in Ontario each year, and for determining migration routes. In 2011 there were 21 wild breeding pairs in Ontario (13 in Carden, 7 in Napanee and 1 in Pembroke/Renfrew). We received 22 reports of shrikes in Ontario, many of which were single birds, during the breeding season and a sighting report from Long Point during fall migration. The wild pairs produced at least 48 young. Captive-reared birds continued to augment the wild population in 2011 with 3 returning birds; one paired with a wild female and successfully fledged at least 3 young. The captive-breeding and release program produced 93 fledglings this year and 21 birds were released. Of these, 16 juveniles were equipped with geolocators and a silver over a red band on the left leg. Keep your eyes peeled for these birds in 2012 as the geolocators contain valuable information on the migration routes and wintering grounds critical for shrike recovery! A large number of captive-reared young were retained for the captive population this year as future breeding stock. A large number of birds in the captive population are old and nearing the end of their reproductive years so the influx of young birds will insure that we produce high numbers of young for release in future years. For more information on the 2011 field season results, check out our annual report at http://www.wildlifepreservation.ca/wildlife/shrike.php under ³Shrike field reports², or request a copy from [email protected] Thank-you again for supporting the recovery program for this critically endangered bird! Tara Imlay Species Recovery Biologist Wildlife Preservation Canada 5420 Highway 6 North Guelph, ON N1H 6J2 office: 1-800-956-6608 [email protected]
_______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
