Wednesday June 9 - Red-backed Shrike

 Mike Lane found a Red-backed Shrike in a weedy field behind the old pool at 08.30 this morning.

Lyn has hurt her back so I am having trouble getting to see it. A brief search at 10.15 was fruitless.

OK, I've calmed down now. After returning home to help Lyn with some vital transfers (don't ask), I was able to get back to the patch by 11.20. Dave had beaten me there, and we started rechecking the hedgerows around the weedy field. We split up, Dave heading across the field and me following the Morton Brook. At about 11.45 I noticed a brown bird of about the right size and shape flying across the field and disappearing behind bushes on the top of the ridge. I wasn't certain it was anything, but was optimistic enough to walk into the field whilst trying to text Dave who was out of sight.

At this point I got a call from Dave. He had also seen the bird fly across the field and was now watching it. As I walked towards him I followed his line of sight and spotted the bird. It was quite distant and there was a heat haze...hence dodgy record shots.

Red-backed Shrike

Shortly after I took the above shot I looked up and it had gone. Dave was scoping in the opposite direction, but when I joined him he too had lost it. I then relocated it for one final time on the hedge bordering the old pool, but it soon disappeared again.

I had to get home, so was only able to give the first arriving twitchers vague directions. It looks like it could be tricky to pin down.

Mike has sent me a tidied up photo of the bird from this morning. He had been trying to photograph Kestrels (I'm guessing) from a photographic hide when the Red-backed Shrike appeared instead.

Female Red-backed Shrike - per Mike Lane

Sometimes dreams come true.