Great Grey Shrike: how fast can there fly? (1 Viewer)

[davidearlgray]

Hi all, I am trying to solve a question and wonder what other people think, but how fast does a Great Grey Shrike fly in a straight point over a mile distance?
I look forward to your replies,
Cheers,
Dave.

 

[Alan Tilmouth]

Dave, a rough estimate could be 25-30mph over that distance? So perhaps 2-2.5 minutes unbroken flight perhaps...maybe...

 

[davidearlgray]

Thanks Alan, I thought that as well. I'm just trying to prove a point as somebody doesn't believe that I saw two Great Grey Shrikes in the Vale of Belvoir in late March 2012.
Cheers,
Dave.

 

[John Cantelo]

The simple expedient of typing in 'How fast do birds fly?' into Google resulted in a fairly consistent response that in normal circumstances, birds fly 'low and slow' and that something between 20-30 mph would be most likely. Hence a mile would be covered in 2-3 mins. However, as might be the case, a shrike could be chasing a small passerine which, one imagines, might exceed this speed in an attempt to escape although it probably wouldn't be flying in a straight line so the A to B speed might not be that much greater,

 

[Alan Tilmouth]

The simple expedient of typing in 'How fast do birds fly?' into Google

Can I just highlight that my answer was purely based on field experience of stumbling through clear fell trying to get a half decent picture of the species in the depths of winter and any suggestion of Google use is extremely distasteful.

 

[JamesA]

Laden or unladen?