Foiled by the Weather

We had been hoping to get three ringing sessions in over the course of this extended weekend but unfortunately we were once again foiled by the weather. The excellent session on Friday was not repeated on Saturday (29th); only about 130 birds were ringed, most notably was the capture of 10 more Grasshopper Warblers, so thats 38 in three sessions. We were also treated to a fly-by and back again from one of the passage Ospreys that had been loitering intermittently at the Haven. It initially drifted up the valley and I picked it up just as it headed towards the area known as the Frying Pan. It then turned and headed back down the river so I grabbed my camera and headed to the jetty in our ringing area. I was hoping for a close fly-by but three Carrion Crows began hassling it and it changed direction and headed back up the valley, but I was able to get a couple of shots before it headed off.

Osprey being harassed by Carrion Crow

Heavy rain on Monday (31st) gave me the opportunity to catch up on some sleep, but clearly not every one was doing the same, as a Wryneck was reported from Hook-with-Warsash LNR around mid-morning. I didn't have time to go in the morning but once I had completed my 'duties' I headed down for a look. By this time the rain had stopped so I worked my way along the beach to the scrub where the bird had been seen. There was a good selection of migrant birds present including three Northern Wheatears, two Whinchats, two Dartford Warblers and over 50 Yellow Wagtails, with the cattle. A Little Egret was feeding on the Meander Pool and two Ringed Plovers flew west.

I spotted a lone birder watching an area of gorse and enquired if this was the area where the Wryneck had been seen; it was but not for over an hour. I didn't have much time but started to scan the top of the gorse just in case it appeared, and within a few minutes picked it up. It was perched up back where it had last been seen, so I quickly moved closer to the bird to get some shots. Initially, it was obscured by the branch it was sat on, and appeared to be hiding from me, but eventually it gave some better views. The bird was in exactly the same location as one I saw here last year, this time though the views were much better.

Hiding Wryneck - Hook with Warsash

Wryneck - Hook with Warsash 

Wryneck - Hook with Warsash 

Wryneck - Hook with Warsash 

Wryneck - Hook with Warsash 

Brown Shrike - Hook with Warsash, Hampshire

Today the news broke of a probable brown shrike Lanius cristatus just to the east of the Hook with Warsash, Hampshire County Council reserve. The bird was originally found at around 10:30 and reported at a red-backed shrike L. collurio, but by 12:30 it was being suggested as brown. I have seen one of these before in the UK and many on my travels around India, but this bird was 10 minutes from my front door and a first for Hampshire (that's if its accepted and not re-identified again!).

The bird was showing well most of the time, albeit quite distantly, which was not ideal for getting photos (although I did grab a couple of record shots). Given the birds distance, the debate of its identity initially, and the difficulty generally presented by shrikes, I thought I would spend my time watching it. On first impressions the bird looked good for brown shrike, with generally brown upperparts, which lacked any strong barring as red-backed, and faint barring on the underparts, the flanks were washed buff. The mask was very well defined and extended all the way to the bill, which appeared quite heavy, although with nothing for comparison that was a bit subjective. Structurally the bird also looked very good for brown with a long slim tail, the primary projection was short and the tertials were dark centred.

Brown Shrike - Hook with Warsash, Hampshire

The bird was performing very well and appeared quite chat like, continually cocking its tail. It spent most of its time feeding along a length of barbed wire fence, regularly dropping to the ground to grab something before returning to its perch. As more people arrived the consensus of opinion was that the bird was indeed a brown shrike, and based on what I had seen I was fully agreed.

Brown Shrike - Hook with Warsash

After watching the bird for a good hour and half it was time to head off, hopefully it will hang around as I would like to get the chance to get some better photos, apologies for those posted so far.