Brown Shrike: Upper Hollesley, Suffolk

While watching the Black-faced Bunting in East Yorkshire on Wednesday, news broke of a Brown Shrike at Upper Hollesley in Suffolk. This is a bird I had failed to connect with on two previous occasions. The first was in 2013 at Hook-with Warsash in Hampshire, and the second in 2019 at Great Cowden in East Yorkshire. Could this be the opportunity to finally see one? Understandably, Brian didn't want to divert from the drive home, and the weather forecast for the following day was dreadful, with high winds and rain expected for most of the day, definitely not ideal weather for shrikes. Unsurprisingly, the shrike was not reported all day. Just after 9 a.m. this morning, I received the news I had hoped for: the shrike was still present! Brian had an M.O.T. on his car and was waiting in the garage when I phoned him. "The shrike is still there, do you fancy going"? The car passed, and Brian agreed to the trip. We met at 10.15 am and arrived shortly before midday. 

Birders were spread out in different areas around what would turn out to be the birds' favoured feeding area of the common. Having joined the main group, we were told that it was mobile but showed regularly. We didn't have to wait very long before the shrike appeared low down in a bramble bush, and I had finally seen a Brown Shrike.

Surprisingly, it's also a first record for Suffolk 

Brown Shrike

The Brown Shrike (Lanius Cristatus) breeds from eastern Siberia to Northwestern Mongolia. It winters in Southeast Asia and South Asia, including India, Myanmar, and the Malay Peninsula.

Black-faced Bunting at Spurn YWT

A possible sighting of a Black-faced Bunting at Spurn at 10.54am on the 20th was quickly confirmed fifteen minutes later. Brian was eager to go but had commitments the following day, so the first opportunity would be today. Brian persuaded me to join him, and we left for Spurn at 3am, knowing that with a forecast of clear skies the previous evening, the bird could easily have moved on. We arrived at Spurn around 7am and began the walk out along the beach towards Spurn Point. We headed up the slope and joined five other birders who had already been scanning for the Bunting. There had been no sign of the bird; this is not what any birder wants to hear!

Some of the guys had seen the bird the previous day and knew its favoured feeding area. I set up the scope and trained it on the road where the bird had been feeding. An hour later, the bird hadn't been seen, so we decided to edge along the road in case the bird was feeding elsewhere. By now, several more birders had joined us, and thoughts began that the bird had indeed moved on overnight. Then, a call from another group of birders saw us head back towards them. They had seen the bird, but it had gone into thicker cover as we reached them. Some birders could see the bird from their position, but it remained hidden from mine. After some good directions, "It's close to a single bent over bramble branch and a patch of small yellow flowers." I spotted the bird! Eventually, it emerged from cover and began feeding on the road. We watched it for twenty minutes before a work truck came along and flushed the bird up and over the bank.

Its breeding range extends from southern Siberia across to northern China, and it winters in northeast India, south China, and the northern parts of southeast Asia

There have been nine previous accepted records of Black-faced Bunting in the UK, the first in 1994 in Manchester. Of the nine records, five have been on the mainland, with the other four all on Shetland.

After the truck flushed the bird, we decided to walk out towards the point, adding another 3 miles to the walk. Something we regretted on the long walk back to the car. Eider and Rock Pipit were added to the dismal year list, though.

Road to the Lighthouse

High Tide Hut