When Craig Sandvig was walking along a Selkirk College trail early in the morning on May 3, he didn’t expect to encounter an endangered bird perched in some shrubs along the Kootenay River.
The bird he spotted was a Loggerhead Shrike, which is typically only found in the Canadian prairies, southern Ontario and other areas in North America.
According to Breeding bird Survey data, the bird’s populations has declined by almost 80 per cent since 1966 due to habitat loss, collisions and human disturbance.
BC Bird Alert said there have been only 97 recorded sightings of the bird in the province to date.
The bird can be identified by its grey colour, its blocky head and the black mask on its face, according to B.C. Bird Alert.
After Sandvig’s encounter, several other people also spotted the bird near the college over the course of the day.
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