What is the Eastern Loggerhead Shrike Recovery Program? After a precipitous drop in the wild eastern loggerhead shrike population in the 1990s, Environment Canada invited Wildlife Preservation Canada to lead the multi-partner recovery effort in 2003. Since then, the wild population size has fluctuated. Studies have shown that although the recovery effort has prevented the species from disappearing from Canada, more work is required to identify and address the causes of the species’ decline. WPC works to prevent the eastern loggerhead shrike from disappearing by building the wild population in Ontario, and studying the species to learn more about the threats they face.
Photo above: Eastern loggerhead shrike spotted while passing through Hamilton, Ontario. Photo: Sean Bates
It’s official – spring migration is well underway, and eastern loggerhead shrikes are here to prove it! Four individual shrikes have been reported back in Ontario: one transient bird was spotted passing through Hamilton, a single bird has been seen in the Napanee region, and most notably, a pair of shrikes have returned to the Napanee Limestone Plain Important Bird Area. These early sightings are getting us excited for a busy field season ahead!
These unique, predatory songbirds are a welcome sight in spring, especially given their rarity in the province. Shrikes will soon be establishing territories, selecting mates, and hopefully bringing many more shrikes into the world, so now is the perfect time to get out and look for them as they return to their open grassland habitats.
As more eastern loggerhead shrikes make their way back to their breeding grounds, WPC’s shrike recovery team is asking local birders, photographers, and nature lovers across Southern Ontario to keep an eye out and let us know if they spot one. If you luck out and do see a shrike, please send an email to birds@wildlifepreservation.ca with details about your observation. Specifically, we’re looking for the date, time, and location of your sighting, the number of individuals observed, any visible colour bands on their legs, and any photos you were able to take. With your permission, we’d love to share your photos (with credit!) to help spread the word about the return of this special species.
Every sighting of an eastern loggerhead shrike helps us to better understand the distribution of these birds during their migration. These observations can play an important role in conservation efforts by giving us real-time insight into how and when the species uses different parts of the Ontario landscape.
Thank you for keeping your eyes (and ears) open! With your help, we can continue to protect and celebrate eastern loggerhead shrikes for many years to come.
Annika Wilcox
Research Biologist, Eastern Loggherhead Shrike Recovery Program
Annika joined the WPC Loggerhead Shrike team as a Research Biologist in 2025. She has ample experience in environmental outreach, wildlife rehabilitation, and the ecological monitoring of birds, at-risk amphibians, reptiles, and insects. Annika holds a Master’s degree in Integrative Biology from the University of Guelph, where she researched the limiting factors of restored agricultural wetlands as a breeding habitat for birds, with an emphasis on Species at Risk.
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