Great Grey Shrike

Dungeness - 1000hrs - wet, cloudy, cold, nw 3 - A grim old day weather wise with rain throughout and a cold nagging wind. We strolled down to the Patch scanning the sea where a steady trickle of Gannets were feeding offshore, plus a few Kittiwakes. Around the boil, on the sea and beach were around 1,000 Black-headed Gulls along with a few Meds and Common Gulls while a Raven flew along the foreshore.

                               The Patch, spot the Med Gull...

Dengemarsh - From Springfield Bridge two Cattle Egrets flew over the lake and dropped down on the hay fields. Little and Great White Egret also noted, plus two Marsh Harriers and a Buzzard. We walked the gully which was dead apart from a few Robins, Blackbirds, Mipits and two Stonechats.

                                Great Grey Shrike, Dungeness

Dungeness - 1500hrs - Just as the day was petering out news came through of a Great Grey Shrike found by DW and BC in scrub opposite the entrance to the concrete road. On arrival it was sat up on overhead wires before being hassled by Magpies. It then flew into a private garden where in next to no time it emerged with a small rodent! The Maggies were soon onto it though, driving the shrike across the road towards the sea containers where it perched briefly on a dead dock, affording an opportunity for a couple of dreadful record shots. It looked smart, as shrikes always do, through the scope and was personally a long-awaited new bird for Dungeness. The shrike then dropped onto the deck and was lost from view, and with heavy rain on the way it was time to call it a day.