Shrike Twitch

 There has been a Long-tailed Shrike near Oxford since around the 18th of July, Only the third one that has been recorded in the UK, strangely the 2nd one was also this year!! Thought to be a different bird as sightings overlap and the plumage is different. The first one was 26 years ago! So obviously this was going to be a popular bird, I don't really enjoy twitching much especially if there are loads of people, add in a 2 and a half drive, each way and the thought of standing in a field in 35 degree heat meant  I'd pretty much decided to give it  a miss!! However as time passed and more and more awesome pics of what looked like  a pretty sensational bird, appeared online I decided to head up on Saturday, however on waking  I couldn't get motivated so stayed local!!  Sunday I woke up at about seven checked Birdguides it was still there!! on impulse I was off! Margie hummed and hahed for about 3 hours as to whether she was going to come, eventually deciding her dodgy knee need more rest so I was on my own!! (Margie would like to point out it was less than 10 minutes of prevarication!) 

2hrs 10mins later I was parked in a field on the Oxfordshire/Gloucestershire border, I paid me £5, hopefully they have made a few quid for charity, and set off on the walk to the hedge where the bird resides. It's an oddity that for a month I'd been indifferent to this bird, even on the drive up I'd been nice and relaxed, but now with a half mile walk, the anxiety kicked in, would it be there? I upped the pace, arriving at the small group of about 20 birders, on enquiry they assured me the bird was still present and was sitting on a wire 30 meters away!! Hurrah! What a cracker!!! 

First view!! Long-tailed Shrike!

A stunner, it spent the next hour or so hunting insects, when it caught one it dived into the brambles out of sight, before reappearing ten minutes later! Frustratingly it was ranging along the hedge, but not really coming close!

Always a bramble to hide behind

Miles away, heat haze but at least you can see the long tail

When the bird disappeared, which it did on a regular basis, it gave a chance to see what else was about, it's an impressive farm, big hedges and wide field margins, plenty of birds seen, Yellowhammers, Corn Bunting, Stonechats, lots of Common Whitethroats, a Raven, Red Kites, Buzzards and probably the best a covey of about 6 Grey Partridges flew into the base of the large Bramble bush that the Shrike was sat on, sadly they went straight into the long grass and disappeared! Could hear them calling occasionally, but didn't see  them again! A worrying moment came when a large Sparrowhawk glided right over the Shrike which unsurprisingly slipped back into the bramble patch!! Sadly possibly due to the fact that there were 20 odd people stood on the path, most of these birds were a bit distant for decent pics!

Red Kite 

Yellowhammer

Corn Buntings

Sparrowhawk

Meanwhile the LTS played hard to get

Would have been a nice pic with a Sunset behind it, have to make do with a Pylon

Up to this point things had gone pretty well, the star bird, although showing well hadn't come very close, but it was on my list! Slowly the Shrike started to come a bit closer, flying out into the field catching insects, curiously every time it sallied out it was accompanied by a Whitethroat sort of mobbing it, it would fly out, the Whitethroat would fly out with it then both would return to the bush! Except maybe out of pure annoyance the Shrike flew out as did the Whitethroat, but instead of flying back the Shrike shot forward, towards us and landed just 20 feet down the path, gobsmacked the crowd shuffled round and we filled our boots, amazingly the bird sat there for ages!!  This was more like it!!

Bit more like it!

It's a stonker for sure!! The bird seemed unphased by the crowd, eventually flying down onto the field catching a large beetle and disappearing into a large Hawthorn!! 

On the ground hunting for food, unfortunately I couldn't get a clear shot, but fun watching it's technique

Small Heath butterfly (I think) also in the field 

A fantastic bird, all Shrikes are brilliant, but this one seems even more brilliant! I'd been on site for a couple of hours, figuring I wouldn't get much better pics, I headed back to the car where I celebrated with a couple of homemade Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins!! The journey home was uneventful except for the usual nutters on the M25!! Glad I went in the end!!

That's probably enough pics for now!!!