Great Grey Shrike

[Birdman1976]

I'm all of a quiver .

Just returning from the supermarket in South Oxfordshire....minding my own business when a bird suddenly caught my eye. It was sat high in a small roadside tree, light grey/white with a black stripe along its side, about the size of a thrush with a longish tail. At first glance i thought 'Shrike' as although i've never seen one in England, i saw lots in Tanzania a few years ago. Anyway quick as i could I turned the car around for a closer look and sure enough, sat there bold as brass was a Great Grey Shrike . How exciting

Having consulted my books the general consensus seems to be that they are scarce winter visitors to the North and East of the UK. Is it very usual to see them so far inland? Could the recent cold weather and cold conditions in Europe have pushed it into central england?? Do you think it likely to remain in the same area or will it move on, as i might try and go and get a photo.

Cheers
Richard

[RoyW]

They are seen inland occasionally (at the moment there are reports from Warwickshire and Wales, among others), books tend to show the areas where you are most likely to see birds, areas where they only rarely occur aren't shown on maps. Obviously if you think that you have seen a bird outside of an area shown in the books it is important to check that you haven't made a mistake - not that I'm implying you have here!

It's impossible to say whether it will hang around, but it's got to be worth another look. Sometimes birds like this will pass quickly through an area (the last one I saw was only ever seen for about 20 minutes, despite large numbers of birdwatchers visiting the area), others will stay in one area from October-late March. Wintering Great Grey Shrikes often range over a large area though so even if it does hang around, it may be difficult to find again.

Roy.

[Birdman1976]

Thanks Roy. Such a shame i didnt have my camera with me at the time, i'd have loved to have managed a photo. Think i'll go and have a look around tomorrow on the off chance that its still in the area

cheers

[Dave66]

Hi
The cold weather certainly has pushed them further west than usual. We had one take up residency in our village a few weeks back. It stayed for about 12 days and then moved on. I live in Argyll right on the west coast of Scotland.

Here's a couple of pictures, their not brilliant but you can tell what it is. Bonny birds aren't they.

Cheers

Dave.

[rlchew]

An excellent bird guaranteed to brighten up a winter day's birdwatching, particularly when it is a "self found" bird as Richard's was.

The last Great Grey Shrike that I saw was back in 2007. In fact I have seen the much rarer Lesser Grey Shrike since then, fortunately just a few miles down the road from where I live.

Richard

[Dogghound]

We get birds wintering in wykeham forest (near Scarborough) every year. There is a particular clearing where you get one. Although it hasnt hung around as long this year only stayed about 3 weeks but then re-appears again. Great birds I bet it was quite a shock seeing that.

[Ukwildlifeo]

Well that is a nice find. I missed the one at Stodmarsh last year and am yet to see any species of shrike

[Deer Stalker]

We get them wintering in the New Forest. Sometimes three or four birds stay, this year only one.

[Birdman1976]

It certainly was a pleasant surprise, its really made my day. What a gorgeous bird.....'smart' was the best way to describe it. My only disappointment was that i wasn't able to get a photo to capture the moment. Dave, you've made me very jealous ...lovely photos and the exact pose i experienced.

Thanks for the replies

[John]

Great Grey Shrikes can turn up almost anywhere. In fact I was watching one near to Draycote Water, near Rugby, on Sunday.

We get them here in this part of the country annually and I suspect that possibly even more get missed as they may be in parts of the country that are grossly under watched by birders.

John