We need at least 500 pairs of breeding birds to ensure that the Eastern Loggerhead Shrike will no longer be at risk of disappearing from Canada. Getting there won't be easy, but it is possible, if 500 landowners give these birds enough habitat in which to live.

Almost every known nesting site of the Eastern Loggerhead Shrike in Canada is on private property. If you have shrike habitat on your property or want to create more habitat for this rare bird, there are many ways you can help. First of all, please report sightings of Eastern Loggerhead Shrikes to our toll-free number:

1-800-956-6608

There are plenty of other things you can do:

• Contact the Recovery Program before making any alterations to Eastern Loggerhead Shrike habitat.
• Maintain existing pastureland and expand it, if possible. This may mean creating more open areas by clearing some trees and shrubs. Your local Recovery Action Group may be able to provide volunteer assistance for this job.
• Maintain and plant trees and shrubs at the edges of pastures and fields to serve as perches and nesting places for shrikes.
• Leave the odd tree standing in or near grasslands. Shrikes like to perch on them.
• Let cattle graze. This maintains the short-grass habitat that shrikes prefer.
• Be judicious in the application of insecticides and other chemicals on your land. If at all possible, do not use them.

Loggerhead shrikes have been found on cattle pasture in Manitoba, and the suggestions in the previous section apply to that habitat. But most shrikes in southeastern Manitoba have been found on suburban land, and it's not uncommon for shrikes to nest or be spotted in people's backyards. Here are some ways to make your garden shrike-friendly:

• Plant shrub or tree species that will favour nesting. Loggerhead shrikes nest more often in spruce trees between one and six metres in height. They will also nest in hawthorn, willow and buffaloberry.
• Avoid planting trees that are over six metres high in your yard. Taller trees may attract other birds that hunt shrikes.
• The Eastern Loggerhead Shrike will nest in hedgerows (especially if there are openings in them) but the birds prefer to nest in isolated trees scattered throughout the yard.
• Shrikes need thorny shrubs in the yard to impale their prey. Hawthorn is ideal, but Russian Olive, Silver Buffaloberry or Wild Plum will do. A barbed wire fence will also serve this purpose.

Feeding Area

On average, a breeding pair of shrikes needs 4 hectares (10 acres) of open habitat, although the birds have nested in yards as small as 1.2 hectares (3 acres).

• To determine the size of your shrike area, imagine it from a bird's eye view. A single residential site might appear too small. But together with adjacent suitable properties, it may provide an area large enough to sustain a breeding pair. The ideal setting is a residential site beside a pasture or hayfield where shrikes can go to forage, although this is not necessary if the site is large enough.
• Mow your yard frequently to mimic grazed grass in a pasture. Ideally, keep your grass short and leave un-mowed patches in corners and around shrubs to harbour prey species. You can plant a mixture of native grasses and wildflowers to make those patches more attractive.

Perches

The shrike is a "perch-and-wait predator" that needs perches to hunt from. Hydro lines, fence posts and fence lines, antennae, clotheslines or similar structures can act as perches. Dead limbs on a treetop are ideal. In areas where perches are lacking, you can plant posts, preferably throughout the yard, but around the site might suffice.