Red-backed Bonanza!

 There has been a Red-backed Shrike at RSPB Medmerry for a couple of weeks, Shrikes are always a favourite so I decided on a visit today, a trip to Wales, work, bad weather and general laziness had prevented me going before. Up at 6.15am and arrived  just before 7.30am, first on site which is always handy, I wandered down the lane and soon found the target bird lurking in a ditch, where it proceeded to give awesome views for the 20 or so minutes I spent with it, a couple of other people soon appeared, the bird seemed happy enough, launching itself into the undergrowth to catch various insects. A few😀 pics below, I have shown a great deal of, some, no restraint 😁 

Red-backed Shrike

Couple of Deer in the background

Ok so very little restraint!! Could of been worse, I took a lot of pictures!!😁😲 So with the star bird dealt with I decided to walk down to the reserve. The first part of the walk was relatively quiet, a couple of Med Gulls flew over and the large overgrown ditch to the side of the path seemed to have a few Wrens, Dunnocks and a couple Chiffchaffs calling in it, the area is very open with good views all around and I could see some large flocks in the distance, I suspected they were Linnets, but there were  several groups of Yellowhammers about as well as Goldfinches, Greenfinches and a couple of Corn Buntings one of which had a little sing!

Various flocks of farmland birds swirled about every now and then

Corn Bunting, the bright sun so useful at the Shrike site proving more problematic here! 

Goldfinches and a House Sparrow

As I got closer to the Stilt Pools the gorse produced a couple of Dartford Warblers. A small field with a herd of cows in it, also had Cattle Egrets in it and one actually rode a cow, hurrah!!

Dartford Warbler

Cattle Egret with cattle

Riding the cow!

Maybe a bit Dartford/Egret heavy but at least it wasn't a Shrike right!!😂

This field not only had Egrets, it was loaded with Skylarks and Meadow Pipits, birds everywhere, fabulous as they flew all about in the blue sky and sunshine, this is what it's all about!! 

1st winter Yellowhammer I think!

Skylark

Skylark

Nice to see Skylarks, bit thin on the ground in other locations I've tried lately but plenty here, chasing each other around!

Meadow Pipit

Cattle Egret

I wandered past the Stilt Pools, lots of birds on em, though all common stuff, Widgeon, Teal, Mallards, Little Grebe, flock of Lapwing, Grey Heron, the Cattle Egrets relocated from the field, Little Egrets etc, etc

Cattle Egret

Grey Heron

Lapwings

I headed down to the beach, the tide was in, there was no beach!! I did a little Seawatch, no scope as it is on it's way to be fixed, Sandwich Tern went through and a couple of Grey Plovers, but was quite slow and my heart wasn't really in it so was a quick ten minutes.

Portsmouth

Grey Plover

Sandwich Tern

Sandwich Tern strange to see em in non-breeding plumage! I scanned over the reserve, a distant Marsh Harrier all that could be seen out of the ordinary!

The Stilt Pools

View over the reserve

I headed back, at the cattle field a Green Woodpecker, flew over landed on a pole and refused to pose!! Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, the Dartford showed again, a Yellowhammer actually posed quite close! A very enjoyable walk back to the carpark!

Meadow Pipit

Skylark

Meadow Pipit

Yellowhammer

Stonechat, loads of these about but mainly avoided the lens

Green Woodpecker, constantly moved around this pole so I couldn't get a decent pic no matter what angle I tried!

Dartford Warbler

Greenfinch & Linnet

Marsh Harrier

Yellowhammer

Corn Bunting

Yellowhammer

Common Buzzard

Reed Bunting

So back at the car park a small group of birders were enjoying the Shrike again, would have been rude not to, so I joined in, light was harsher, but if anything the Shrike showed even better!!

What a bird and what a place, alive with birds!!! Forgot to mention that there were Swallows and Housemartins all around for pretty much the whole walk, though I have given up trying to photograph them for this year so no pics!