8 MARCH 2024 - CHASING A GREAT GREY SHRIKE; A RUSTIC BUNTING, and A FIRECREST

An 8.15 am start from my house in Bishop’s Stortford, soon saw us on our way to a place in the Brecklands of Norfolk (just a short distance from Weeting) where a small contingent of cars told us we were in the right location, where an adult Great Grey Shrike was hopefully still around and showing.

We had to endure quite a lengthy trek along a winding track through deciduous woodland, until we reached the area where the shrike had already been located by other birdwatchers. The bird was readily seeable in the bright, though windy, conditions, perched in a tree in a clearing, but quite distant. Luckily, when I eventually caught up with John and Mike (being somewhat slower these days and needing to use a nordik pole for support) John had the bird in his telescope - and what a beautiful shrike it was, with its black and white plumage and black face mask (we all thought we could detect a very slight pink tinge to the birds breast and belly, although this could have been a trick of the light). The bird moved from branch to branch but kept to the same tree throughout the time we had it in view.

I endeavoured to take photographs using my Canon R6 Camera in conjunction with a 100-300mm telephoto, but the bird was too far away really to expect satisfactory results, so I had to accept the situation as it was.

Nearby, a singing male Woodlark, was eventually located at the base of a tree, with what we assumed to be the female, taking flight overhead. But it was great to see them here too.

And then on to our next port of call – Broomsthorpe, Helhoughton just SW of Fakenham, hoping to connect with a Rustic Bunting that had been found there a few days back. On the approaches to the site it was initially suggestive that there wouldn’t be many birdwatchers out to see the bird, as the roads - little winding country roads - were traffic-free; but that soon changed at the actual site as the was a very large contingent of cars parked on the verges, with a sizeable gathering of birdwatchers, maybe 100 or so strong waiting for the bird to appear - although it hadn’t been seen since 0830 hrs that morning. So, we joined the throng, hoping to get a view sometime soon. But that did not materialise.

The chances of a good view were non-existent, given that we were looking out on an extensive field of an expired sunflower crop, still full of tall ‘dying’ plants, bounded on three sides by tall hedgerows and on the fourth by tall trees. We were given to understand that the bunting would occasionally emerge from the field into a long hedgerow - but even then, the views were not going to be mind-boggling. Every now and again the field would explode with a flurry of birds - mainly Reed Buntings; Yellowhammers with possibly some Goldfinches; Siskins and Redpolls but with the bright sunlight in our eyes even seeing these was almost impossible, and even when birds chose to alight in the hedges, good views were only possible with telescopes. It was not an enviable situation.

The only good thing that came out of this from my point of view was that a tap on my shoulder led to me being reunited with a birding friend, David Garner who lived near Kings Lynn, and who I had not seen for a couple of years. A good chinwag later, I got an invite to stay with him and his wife Sarah, for a weekend to be arranged - and we had not done that for about four years, so something to look forward to.

We might have been there with no success for 90 minutes or so before we agreed to call it a day and make for Lynford Arboretum, where we knew there would be birds to see.

Lynford was not too far away, and we started our stint there with a lovely Treecreeper, followed by a welcome cappuccino each, before we began looking for Firecrest. The chances of us connecting were remote though because the easterly winds were blowing strong at times, and Firecrests do not like windy conditions, so we weren’t full of optimism on that score.

As we wandered, I took the opportunity to take some scenic shots, as the early afternoon light was glorious, and the trees looked beautiful, interspersed with glades of daffodils and a hint of cherry blossom. Regrettably, Firecrest-free we came to the lake and somewhere a male Little Grebe was singing; in the meantime John had scoped a lovely Red male Crossbill, with a couple of green females coming down to drink from a almost hidden pond in the trees - where we also connected with some lovely Siskins; a male Great Spotted Woodpecker, and a lone Fieldfare, as well as the usual Blue and Great Tits at the feeders. I managed reasonable shots of the Crossbills and a male Siskin, with reasonable success given the limitations of a 100-300mm telephoto lens.

In a nearby grassy paddock, Mike found a pair of Hawfinches, with John getting in on the act before they flew off, but luckily, I did manage a distant glimpse of them at the same site later in the afternoon. John took a circuitous route whilst me and Mike took a trail beside the lake - to meet up with John again later; but none of us connected with any Firecrests - clearly, the windy conditions took their toll in that regard. Meanwhile, back at the ‘tunnel’ large numbers of passerines continued to feed near the puddle - Yellowhammers; Chaffinches; a couple of Bramblings; a Coal Tit; Blue Tits and Great Tits; Blackbirds and a Jay - but no Hawfinches here this time.

I’m pretty sure we’d be back at Lynford in the Spring to try and connect with Firecrests then as they breed here; but apart from the disappointment of missing out on the Rustic Bunting, we’d had a pretty good day, with an excellent Great Grey Shrike, and the Crossbills - always a delight to see them well.

GREAT GREY SHRIKE

MALE RED CROSSBILL

FEMALE RED CROSSBILL

CANADA GEESE

GADWALL

GADWALL

YELLOWHAMMERS ETC

MALE SISKIN