San Clemente Island has a more diverse suite of potentially affected nontarget endemics, including the federally endangered San Clemente
loggerhead shrike, the federally threatened San Clemente Bell's sparrow, the San Clemente island fox (Urocyon littoralis clementae), and the San Clemente deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus clementis).
For example, my studies compared favorably with studies in Virginia, Minnesota and Ontario, and showed that in northeastern North America the
loggerhead shrike prefers to nest in isolated shrubs or hedgerows associated with grazed pastures and nearby hayfields as opposed to agricultural lands dominated by row crops such as corn.
Habitat availability and suitability for
loggerhead shrikes in the upper Midwest.
Foraging Perch and Patch Selection by
Loggerhead Shrikes in Natural Habitat.
Early in the past century Smith also found
Loggerhead Shrikes yearly near Urbana but recently around Charleston there are only 19 spring shrike records in the 40 years since 1965.
Conspecific attraction in
loggerhead shrikes: implications for habitat conservation and reintroduction.
Navy is waging a very elaborate campaign to save the San Clemente
loggerhead shrike. San Clemente Island, 65 miles off the California coast, is home not only to this federally endangered subspecies, but also to a Navy bombing range, to feral goats that eat shrike habitat and to foxes that eat the shrike itself.
On their heads perch uncanny caplets banded with iridescent Karner Blue Butterfly (Lycaeides melissa) wings and crowned with feather sprays--heartbreakingly beautiful--from the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), the American Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), the
Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) and the Least Tern (Sterna antillarum).
Loggerhead shrike populations have shown significant declines in California, and are considered a Bird Species of Special Concern (Humple, 2008).
Foremost among these recovery efforts is a world-class captive propagation and reintroduction program for the endangered San Clemente
loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus mearnsi).
During spring, summer and fall, the grasslands, woodlots and wetlands in these towns are also home to other rare visitors from afar, such as the upland sandpiper, unusual sparrows and even the
loggerhead shrike. Whether or not a northern hawk owl will quarter in Root again is a complicated question.
At the same time, the foxes on San Clemente Island were identified as a predator on the
loggerhead shrike, a federally protected avian species that nests on that island.