Having tried and failed to see the Red-backed Shrike at Thursley Common on the way home from the New Forest in July, it was very welcome if somewhat unexpected news of another bird being found at Wanstead Flats this morning.
We were on site within 30 minutes of the news being posted and managed flight views of the bird as we walked along the track. Unfortunately, that was the only view I had during the next three hours!
So I made a second trip the following day hoping for better views. After an hour of searching, there was no sign of the bird. Then it suddenly appeared in a hawthorn bush! It was quite skittish at first but eventually settled down and gave some nice views to the assembled group.
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| Red-backed Shrike |
There had also been reports of one possibly two Pied Flycatchers present in an area called the enclosure this morning. Crossing the football pitches we could hear a Little owl calling from within a small copse and just beyond we located three Whinchats. Wanstead had suffered several fires the previous months and the evidence was all around us. The areas that had been favoured by Wrynecks in previous years had been completely destroyed and the enclosure was also badly fire damaged. We scanned the trees bordering this area and managed to locate two Spotted Flycatchers and a single Lesser Whitethroat but there was no sign of any Pied Flycatchers present.
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| Spotted Flycatcher |
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