Bethel, Maine.
1903
June 5
(No 4)
favorite points of observation were the fence & telegraph
posts. In a general way they looked and behaved like
Northern Shrikes but they appeared smaller & decidedly
shorter & stouter while they were somewhat less active
& listless. Their heads looked disproportionately larger & much
thicker & heavier than those of their more northern relatives.
The female was a dark, dull-colored bird, the male much
lighter with very white underparts & a clear ashy-blue
back. The broad black stripe through & about the eye
was conspicuous with both of them.
Migrant Shrike
  When perched they sat quite motionless save for a slow
turning of the head from side to side. I did not once see
either of them lift & half spread the tail as the
northern Shrike so often does. Their method of flight,
however, was identical with that of borealis and their
appearance when on wing nearly the same. I think, however,
that they moved even closer to the earth. On leaving their
perches, whether the latter were fence posts or telegraph poles,
they invariably shot down at a steep angle as if
aiming at some object on the ground and then
skimmed off swiftly across the field only a foot or two
above, the turf, rising and falling in long, graceful but gentle
(or shallow) undulation, moving their wings very rapidly at the beginning
of each upward curve and then closing them for an instant
just as a Woodpecker or Goldfinch does when pursuing its
similar "galloping" flights. During the exceedingly rapid beat
of the wings their light markings were alternately displayed
& concealed, giving a flickering effect as of a small bit
of looking glass flashed in the sunlight. Neither bird uttered
any sound whatever within my hearing. They would not
permit me to approach them much nearer than about 20 yds.