Very cool stand-off between Shrike and Sharp-shinned

Observers: Dori
Email: dori@wmrs.edu
Remote Name: 66.248.17.114
Date: 12/17/2004
Time: 11:21 AM -0500

Sighting

I got to observe this very exciting event in the apple tree right outside the window.Both hawk and shrike( Northern I think because of white whiskerey feathers above bill and very pronounced hook) arrived in a flurry of movement.The shrike was all fluffed up and fanning its tail out.Looking quite a bit bigger than usual.The hawk moved from branch to branch getting closer to the shrike who was working its way through the smaller twigs of the tree.I could not hear the shrike but it had its bill open ,making it look threatening from my vantage point.Hawk wasn't going into the smaller thicker branches.Finally the hawk flew off over the house after some quail on the other side.Shrike moved out into the top branches and then flew off in other direction. Could it be that the hawk had been in pursuit of the shrike and the shrike escaped to the thickness of the tree?Quite a scene to see.