Thanksgiving for a Shrike?

While hiking last Sunday, I noticed something small and brown in a thin tree. I initially thought it was a small birds nest, but as I looked closer I realized it was a mouse. It was placed here by a bird called a Northern Shrike, as a food "cache" to be eaten at a later date. Shrikes are predatory songbirds, about the size of a Robin, and eat insects, small mammals, and other small birds that they capture. I've found a handful of shrike caches over the years, and nearly all of them were mice, hung between two branches like this. Only once did I find a bird, which was a Chickadee. All of them were also at eye-level or lower, which I find kind of curious. I've seen a few people report similar finding this season, which makes me think it will be a good year so see a Northern Shrike. But as of yet, I have not found one. Wright County, MN 11/19/23

Loading comments...

Loading contexts...

Make:	NIKON CORPORATION
Model:	NIKON D500
Exposure:	0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture:	f/10.0
ISO Speed:	320
Focal Length:	380 mm
Lens:	150.0-600.0 mm f/5.0-6.3