Pictures: Teus Luijendijk

3 June 2004, Bentwoud, Rijnwoude ZH

3 June 2004, Bentwoud, Rijnwoude ZH

Still (or even increasingly so) a very rare bird in The Netherlands. Usually appearing in late spring, this handsome shrike always draws considerable attention, and this bird (discovered not far from where I live) was only my second for The Netherlands. A total of not more than 33 was seen in our country between 1940 and 1996.
This bird was found in the evening in a new (much debated) nature development area, where farm fields have been transformed into a wooded area. Not too bad for birds, as Marsh Harriers Circus aeruginosus, Quail Coturnix coturnix, Bluethroats Luscinia svecica and Long-eared Owl Asio otus (to name a few) found suitable habitat here to breed.