It's been a while since I have been able to spend a great deal of time on the patch as a variety of survey work commitments, mainly in the South Pennines have taken me away for much of the past month. The occasions I have been about have rarely coincided with potentially productive weather so it has been slim pickings for me here of late. However, with a flurry of reports of Red-backed Shrikes and other drift migrants along the coast, it seemed a good opportunity to try my luck. I spent a good portion of the early to mid afternoon period working the hedgerows without much luck, although I was pleased to find a Wood Warbler at the ringing site; always a joy to find!
However, that apart there were few other migrants, a couple of Wheatears being the best of it. With time moving on and other commitments looming it was soon time to be heading back and as the fog rolled in I couldn't help feeling that I must have missed a shrike lurking somewhere. Sure enough around 6pm I got a call from Nick to say he had found a Red-backed Shrike frequenting a hedgerow that had been shrouded in fog during my visit. Mixed emotions of delight that the patch had delivered, but tinged with frustration that I had missed the opportunity of a find. Still, it was a very nice bird to see later in the evening after having enjoyed a meal out.
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| Wood Warbler |
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