Monday, April 11, 2011

Woodchat Shrike

Yesterday, whilst I was in the hide at Oxwich, Jeremy Douglas-Jones informed me that a Woodchat Shrike, a rare visitor to these parts, had been seen at Llangennith on the north-west of the Gower Peninsula. I couldn't go to see it then, but headed over this afternoon instead. This beautiful male 'butcher bird' showed well, perching on various brambles and other bushes, and occasionally dropping down to chase prey on the short turf. It was just out of range for good quality pictures, even with a 500mm lens with attached 2x converter, and I didn't want to try to get too close and risk scaring it off. However, I got lucky when I looked to my left, and surprisingly saw the shrike perched in a bush only a few metres from where I was sitting. I had time for two shots: one had the bird facing away from camera; and here's the other one (cropped a little from the left):


And here's a bit of film (excuse the wind noise):

8 comments:

  1. Great Shrike Jeremy and the footage is superb,Nice One

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  2. Nice shot! hoping to see it this evening.

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  3. Wow !! That is a superb photograph Jeremy,talk about being in the right spot at the right time,just that little bit of luck we all wish for.

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  4. Amazing capture Jeremy! It is first time for me to see a Woodchat Strike~ His red crown is lovely!

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  5. Excellent photo Jeremy. Glad you got to see it as it's a cracking bird.

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