Dave was scanning the hedge at the end of the "car-park" and I heard him say "Is this a bird?" I looked where he was looking and saw what he meant. If it wasn't a bundle of pale rags in the hedge it was surely....it took off, and I spluttered "Shrike". It landed on some posts and we confirmed it was a Great Grey Shrike. I went into panic mode and managed a shot of an empty post, then a shot of the gravel at my feet, and then a blurred shot of the shrike.
Eventually the bird relocated to wires and a few more measured record shots were achieved.
We rang Mike and Jon, then I phoned the farmer, Paul Harvey, to see if he was OK with us putting the news out. He rang back to say it was no problem. Mike arrived and saw the bird, but it then disappeared.
We decided it must have gone over the ridge, so set off in that direction. I noticed a large raptor with flat wing profile come out of Bannams Wood. Goshawk! I got Dave and Mike on it and got it in the scope as it flapped on slower steadier wing beats than a Sparrowhawk would ever manage. It was an adult, maybe a male. After we lost it we were suddenly surrounded by panicking Jackdaws which had obviously made the same identification.
A female Brambling perched long enough for a shot to be taken.
We rounded the corner and refound the Shrike. It was much closer but my shots of it are so bleached that I am embarrassed to show them. It perched up down the hedge, and then we spotted another birder. This turned out to be Paul from Alcester who had found the Ruff there in September. I joined him and found that the Shrike was now a distant speck on wires across the ridge field.
More birders started to arrive, but we had lost it. I took a shot of a Stonechat which still remains here.
Dave and Nick headed back to the farm where they flushed a Little Owl. I continued to the flash where I counted 116 Black-headed Gulls, 139 Lapwings, a Gadwall, 14 Teal, and a Wigeon plus a couple of Snipe. The Greylag Geese flew in with the Snow Goose still in tow.
Rejoining the others it became apparent that they had had no luck. A Green Sandpiper flew over, and I noticed a late Common Darter dragonfly.
By 12.30 we had to leave, but I hadn't got far before Jon was on the phone. He had relocated the Shrike to the south of Netherstead Farm. Although Nick had had to leave, I understand John Sirrett got to see it, and also a guy from Kenilworth who we saw briefly near the church.
Exciting stuff.
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