You see what I did there?
Ahem.
Anyways, so to continue this ketchup, we get to the main event [well, the one I've been requested to please get a hurry up and blog about]
I like shrikes.
[I'm way too young to know how I feel about Ike, btw]
But they are verrrry thin on [or usually above] the ground in Glorious Devon in recent years.
Last year I spent a lot of time up on t'Moor, at various past locations, looking in vain for a lovely [unless you're a Coal Tit] Great Grey Shrike.
So when one popped up at Bellever, I was there as soon as possible.
Ok, it was a bit overcast and a lot windy, but the sun was forecast to come out, and the wind was the same as it had been showing in.
And to be honest, even if it was raining sideways, I'd have still been tempted.
Did I mention I like shrikes and it'd been a while?
Things got off to a good start when I arrived at the car park to the south of the site to find Murphys [2] having just arrived themselves.
Things got even better when we'd hardly got any distance on our way; a bird got up from a section of stone wall ahead.
Hmm, that's a raptor, not a shrike, not a Kestrel, oh itsa Merlin!!!!
A female, and she hared off - as they usually do - far too quick for me to even get to my camera.
Very good omen, though.
😄
Skylarks sang and it tried to be sunny, as we traced the wall line up to the plantation edge, then followed the edge [on the inside, folks, no bird-disturbing here] for not that far down onto the lee side of the ridge before
"There it is!"
Great Grey Shrike, sat on top of one of the scattered self-seeded conifers [see? they have uses]. We then watched the bird sit, scan, and pounce on various small and unlucky things, relocating frequently as they do.
It even gave us a hover; they do it like Kingfishers do, if you've ever seen one.
Other birders arrived after positive news was put out [lightweights 😛] and despite it trying to rain on us, we even got a few other birds [Crossbill, Siskin, and so on].
How the day would have carried on is a matter of debate, as news broke of a flock - yes a flock - of Blue-headed Wagtails at South Huish Marsh.
Despite not having had lunch yet, it was decided that some things cannot be allowed to pass.
It was not, I must stress [officer] wacky races; I was very good. It was just a little tense when I got stuck behind a whole convoy of verrrry slow assorted lorries and wound up getting there 20 mins after Team Murphy [all I did was stop for go-go juice on account of being on fumes...]
But despite an even stronger wind, there were [eventually] EIGHT of the brightly-coloured little darlings there. And a Water Pipit. And a flock of ten Cattle Egrets flew in. And a Water Rail was tarting about in the open. And my first Swallows and Sand Martin of the year were flying about.
It was all rather good.
Next day I went looking for Little Ringed Plovers and hoping for an Osprey. I got neither, though I did see a Barnacle Goose which was definitely wild, and some nice butterflies.
Cut to Mothers' Day, where the Traditional Nicpic was held at Laughter Tor in blazing sunshine and Skylarks. A Common Lizard! turned up right next to us, but the shrike didn't fly over. A pity as I would have shamelessly bribed it with rations if it had.
[[What? Like any of you would do differently]]
We then reach Wheatears at Last, and after that, finding a quite ridiculous 32 Sandpipers Purple on the Real Living Coast [and I photo'd Every. Single. One. to prove it, too] the day after dropping a kite overflying Town. Swings and roundabouts, I suppose.
My first Willow Warblers, Redstarts, Tree Pipit and Pied Flycatcher of the year all came on last Sunday during a two-site 'I'm going birding and dam the grockles' kind of thing. [And oh, but there were hordes...]
And then we come to Monday, when on getting home from work I turn on my phone to a message from The Teacher;
'Corn Bunting at Hope's Nose quarry ri-'
there was more but I was already out the door.
A call to said finder on getting to the Entrance Bushes resulted in being told 'It's just flown off strongly south' 😱
After swearing very little and quite quietly, really, and heading down the South Side, I managed to refind it sat on top of the Wryneck Bush. Bunting re-relocates back to where it was, where I join the small but happy twitch watching this streaky little browny grey-ish bird flying about and not sitting close for good pictures, but we didn't care.
First one for the site since 1994, said MB.
Patch Mega, says I.
Since then, on consecutive days we have had a very showy Hoopoe at Berry Head, a Night Heron at Slapton [again!], and now a Purple Heron there, too.
What's tomorrow?!?
Be Seeing You...
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