Steppe Grey Shrike - Lanius lahtora pallidirostris
On September 3rd 1994 Marco Witte found a grey shrike at the famous 'Tuintjes'
at the Cocksdorp on the isle of Texel (Noord-Holland). It was first identified as
an immature Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor, but something was wrong. Only at
Sunday September 10th 1994 some birders had a luminous idea: could this bird be a Steppe Grey
Shrike Lanius lahtora pallidirostris? Then somebody remembered there was an article
about Grey Shrikes (Isenmann and Bouchet 1993: Alauda 61: 223-227), which proposed the
splitting of Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis
and Northern Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor. And probably the meridionalis-group can be
split in two groups, the Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis and Steppe Grey Shrike
Lanius lahtora. For the time being we will call this one Steppe Grey Shrike
Lanius lahtora pallidirostris. Anyway, this bird stayed
till September 22nd 1994. I saw it on September 16th during a severe western storm, with Fulmars
Fulmarius glacialis flying overhead!
22 September 1994, De Cocksdorp, Texel NH; © Arnoud van den Berg.
22 September 1994, De Cocksdorp, Texel NH; © Arnoud van den Berg.
22 September 1994, De Cocksdorp, Texel NH; © Arnoud van den Berg.
It was accepted as the first record for the Netherlands (cf Dutch Birding 16: 220, 1994, Dutch Birding 18: 117, 1996).
Do you want to go to the main-index, the 1994-index or the next species, the Paddyfield Warbler?