Great Grey Shrike - 20th Dec 07

Finished work for the Christmas holiday at lunch time today & as the sun was shining decided to go straight up the Forest. Grabbed my parent’s dog on the way up & parked at Shatterford at about 1.30pm.
Walked out over the heath along the railway line with Meadow Pipits & Dartford Warblers in the heather, Goldfinches flying over & Stonechats in the Gorse in the distance.
Getting to the bridge, there were a couple of Reed Buntings calling in the Willows by the railway track. I had a quick look, as always over the other side of the bridge, at Stephill Bottom & towards Frame Heath Inclosure to see if the Hen Harriers or Shrike were about. Nothing, so I went back over the other side. The ferns, Wall Rue & Maidenhair Spleenwort were still alive on the brickwork.
As I came over the bridge something that looked black & white flashed from a tree to the fence & then across the railway & into the trees. Too small for a Magpie I thought, so I went back over the bridge again to scan the trees on the other side. Two Magpies were sitting in the Alder & Willow Carr, but then I scanned further along the trees & came across another black & White bird…..the Shrike! It flew to a young birch on the open heath & I managed to get a pic of it.

I watched it for a few minutes until it worked its way from perch to perch down towards the road.
I carried on back over the bridge & down to Woodfidley. In the trees & along the fence-line of Denny Lodge Inclosure were Redwings, Blue & Great Tits, Goldcrest, Robins, Blackbirds & Treecreepers. I went into the Inclosure where there were a couple of herds of Fallow does, more of the same birds as well as Nuthatches, Jays, Dunnocks & a few flocks of Crossbills, one male perched at the top of a Pine & started singing.

I came out of the Inclosure again & walked over the heath towards Denny Wood. Just inside was a lone Fallow buck. The sun was starting to get weaker & it was fairly quiet through the ancient woodland.
Near the other end of Denny Wood a female Great Spotted Woodpecker was working the bottoms of a stand of Birch trees.
Out on the heath again a group of Fallow bucks were grazing near the wood.

This was the last shot I got as the sun went down & I headed back to the car.