There seemed to be a few options for Saturday morning, but I had a preference for going to see the great grey shrike on Cannock Chase - it has been ages since I had a good view of one. Having stopped for breakfast Kev @kev07713 drove the last leg and to a spot where he had parked just a few days before - the road was very uneven and had to be taken carefully so as not to ground the car.
The great grey shrike is a regular winter visitor to the UK, primarily seen between October and March. They typically inhabit open heathland, young forestry plantations, and scrubby areas where they hunt small birds, mammals, and large insects. This is a predatory songbird, known for its habit of impaling prey on thorns or barbed wire (stashing for consuming later), earning it the nickname "butcher bird".
In the UK the number of these shrikes varies each year - this year seems pretty lean - there has been a significant decline in wintering number from a BTO estimate of 29 individuals wintering annual between 2012 and 2017, circa 12 in the winter of 2021-22, and 11 in 2023-24. They breed in Northern Europe and Russia, usually migrating south in Winter. Our bird was (I think) first reported on 19th October 2024 and has been elusive, going awol on several occasions. Kev had visited a few days earlier and so had some intel, first on where to park, and then where to start looking - this proved invaluable.
We set off from the car along the track and noticed a man with a scope to our left. He seemed to be watching specific trees, though not in an area where the bird had been recorded. Ignoring the distraction, we continued toward the valley, scanning the trees beyond, but there was no sign of our target. This was just a brief stop, so we carried on up a slope, reaching the brow. After a few minutes, Kev told me to keep my eyes open in case I walked right past the bird. I paused, realising he wasn’t speaking hypothetically - I already had! Perched near the top of a tree to our left, bathed in bright sunlight, was the shrike, a brilliant sight.
Our luck was remarkable to be on the bird so quickly - some people have visited multiple times and not seen it at all. Just as we spotted another birder approaching from the right, the shrike suddenly dropped out of view ... neither of us saw which way it went. Kev walked over to chat with the newcomer while I stayed behind, scanning the trees in hope of finding it again – he hadn’t seen where it went either
I briefly joined Kev and the other birder, but after he left, I retraced my steps, carefully scanning all the likely perches. Within minutes, I spotted the shrike perched at the top of a small, twiggy tree. I called Kev over, but just as we tried to get a clearer view, it took off again.
Kev was again the one to relocate it, now silhouetted against the sky, farther to the left. I set up my scope, deciding to switch things up by taking a video before switching back to my camera. Kev quickly moved around the track to find a better angle and managed to capture another short video before the shrike took off again, this time flying far to the right, disappearing over a stand of tall trees. As an added bonus, a flushed woodcock made for an even better morning out. Unfortunately, I was busy fumbling with my phone and scope and completely missed it - muppet.
We had two options: embark on a long search for the shrike or wait patiently for another sighting - we chose neither. Instead, we decided to head back to the car and try for some other birds elsewhere. Our next stop was farmland near Woodstock, where Kev had previously spotted a finch flock along with a striking male brambling.
As soon as we arrived, we saw a few finches along with a small group of yellowhammers - it suddenly dawned on me that I hadn’t seen any "yammers" yet this year.
Unfortunately, the main finch flock was nowhere to be seen. Eventually, we realised they had moved to the far side of a tree line, just beyond the crest of a cornfield. We repositioned to get a clearer view, particularly of the hedge where the finches tended to land after flushing from the ground. For about an hour, we watched and managed to spot a female brambling a couple of times - likely the same bird.
Our session was cut short when a sparrowhawk glided through, sending the birds scattering in all directions. With the flock thoroughly dispersed and showing no signs of returning anytime soon, we called it a day and made a new plan.
We set off and saw five hares in a field, scattered by a tractor piling through.
We arrived at Lower Heyford and followed the track. Kev had visited earlier in the year but hadn’t managed to find any corn buntings, though he had spotted grey partridges - both were high on my wish list for the day.
The ploughed field to our right was empty, so we focused on the hedgerow to our left, but that too was quiet. As we reached a bend at the top of the track, we paused to scan the grassy field ahead. On my second sweep, I noticed a promising shape. Then, as it lifted its head slightly, I realised it was a grey partridge! And not just one, but two. They remained low, feeding cautiously, hunkered down and mostly out of sight. I called Kev over.
Once a common sight in farmland, grey partridges have declined drastically due to habitat loss, modern agricultural practices, and pesticide use. With their plump bodies, chestnut flanks, and distinctive orange faces, they’re unmistakable -though at this distance, I wasn’t going to get a frame-filling shot. Adding to the challenge, the occasional burst of sunlight created a frustrating heat haze. I was reminded of my best-ever encounter with the species at Holkham, quite a different outcome, and this photo.
We watched these birds for a short while but could hear some calls from round the corner. We eased round to find some yellowhammers flying along the hedge, and then picked out a couple, no three, corn buntings. We stayed put and scoped the birds, taking some video and photos. Numbers of corn buntings grew until we were sure we had more than 15, along the hedge line and some back down the track. Having seen our birds there was no need to disturb them anymore.
Walking back a handful of yellowhammers and corn buntings stuck to the hedge and flew ahead - I did get the opportunity for a closer photo, but a little into the sun. Soon they tired of this and flew across the field behind the hedge and across to the hedge on the opposite side. We scoped them through a gap in the hedge and returned to the car.
We stopped once more to look for little owl but dipped that, although I did add a lovely female blackcap to my year list, and we spotted a single corn bunting in with the finch flock. Another great day out birding with Kev.
Year list: 140.
No comments:
Post a Comment