Brown Shrike
A little pretty bird which is a very rare guest in Denmark has stayed
by a lake close to the city of Århus since the 4th of november. It's the
second time it has visited Denmark and the fifth time it has been
noticed in Europe. It's the brown shrike. (Lanius cristatus). The brown
shrike is closely related to the red-backed shrike and the Isabella
shrike, and like them it has a "bandit mask" through the eye. It breeds
in the northern Asia from Mongolia to Siberia and overwinters in
southern parts of Asia.
Lots of birdwatchers have come from far and away since the 4th of November, from all Denmark, but also from Sweden, Norway and Germany. This little bird has been stared at and photographed more than crownprincess Mary. The rare little guest has now been there for almost a month, but the winter cold has come, and there is no guarantee that it will survive.
photo 24 November 2012: stig bachmann nielsen, naturplan.dk & grethe bachmann
4 comments:
An interesting find indeed, I would be in heaven all week. I found evidence of one in the spring but never sighted the bird.
Hej Steve, the bird was still there now Saturday. You can see it on a Danish link on youtube called:
Fouragerende Brun Tornskade filmet i Danmark
- then you'll see a little video. I don't know why they have given the video such a strange and long name.
Maybe you'll soon meet another rare bird. There have also been some rare visits from North American birds here.
Have a nice Sunday!
Grethe ´)
We call Brown Shrike “Mozu” in Japanese. The bird has been very familiar to people since the ancient times when they were sung in the ancient poems. Sadly we haven’t seen them so often like our ancestors as our life style has changed from the traditional living style ( “satoyama” style) to urban style. “Satoyama” is a settlement pattern of loving in upland valleys and cultivating lower slopes. Have you seen “My Neighbor Totoro”? That place is “satoyama” and the old “satoyama” are in peril. The scene of Mozu chirping on the twigs of bare trees was typical scene of old Japan, now they would do so in the woods. I wish the bird in your photo survive the harsh winter.
Stay warm and take care, Grethe.
Yoko
Hello Yoko! I am very glad for the information from you about the Brown Shrike = Mozu. My son knows the film you've mentioned and about the Satoyama, and he follows the long series. I have seen some of them , they are fantastic.
I hope too that the little bird will survive, but it is very cold now, and I have been thinking of how it is doing to-night with more frost and snow.
Grethe `)
Post a Comment