In Search of the Great Grey Shrike.

The last day of October and it felt like the middle of the summer. I met up with Phil Winter and together we climbed the steep side of Kingston Hill hoping to see the Great Grey Shrike that has been there for the last week. We started off in the wrong area where I had misunderstood from Matt which stile to start looking. Apart from a few small birds in the bushes, and a tame Robin that was trying to tell us we needed to move on, the Shrike was not showing. After a while we did move on and it was there that, with Simon Linnington, the bird was spotted a long way off at the top of  a bush. From then on the bird was showing most of the time, and although it was not too bothered by humans it always kept a safe distance away!! At the top of the hill the views were amazing, especially with the autumn colours in the village below. If the bird stays around I may well be tempted to see if I can get some better photos of it, as those taken on this visit were pretty poor!!

The tame Robin telling us we were in the wrong spot!!

Great Grey Shrike admiring the view.

A different Robin sitting where the Shrike should have been.

Snowy Inkcap