Back in February 1989, as a 14 year old teenager, I saw my very first Great Grey Shrike at the gravel pits at New Hythe, Kent. This Shrike and a nearby Waxwing, provided a diversion for the mass of twitchers who descended upon the area to see the iconic rarity of the era, the Larkfield Golden Winged Warbler.
I had fixated on seeing a Shrike for many years, religously pouring over artistic portrayals by Thorburn, Lars Jonsonn, Hilary Burn, Alan Harris, John Busby, Jan Wilczur, Bruce Pearson and Robert Gillmor awaiting my first encounter with a monochrome butcherbird. Conversely I had little idea of what a Golden Winged Warbler should look like, no real sense of expectation - it was just mega rare.
Now I'm not daft enough to say that the Shrike overshadowed seeing the dazzling transatlantic vagrant but it certainly added tremendously to an incredibly exciting and memorable day (thanks Dad xx).
Great Grey Shrikes are still one of my very favourite birds to watch and I relish time in their presence. A couple of weekends ago my Sunday looked busy, I managed an enjoyable grabbed hour at Sutton Gault between family taxi runs. The light was great and wildfowl crowded on the sheltered flooded field opposite the main wash. Wigeon and Teal predominated with a couple of handsome drake Pintail resting nearby - all took to the air as a Peregrine cut through the blue sky and harried Pigeon and Jackdaw alike. Amongst the Greylag a couple of Russian White-fronted Geese were a welcome treat.
By afternoon we were scoffing cake and tea following a potter out to Oxborough Hall NT near Swaffham. I did hope that I might get to look in at a rather temperamental Great Grey Shrike at Fitcham on the way home but with my sister, wife and two young girls filling the car I guessed I would be on a pretty short time scale. On arrival there was no sign of the Shrike but an enjoyable scene of boxing Hare and a sizeable herd of Roe Deer including some fine antlered bucks was to be enjoyed and then, behind the deer, the Shrike popped up - sentinel of the hedgerow a top.a blossoming Hawthorn but very distant.
Enjoying the views I took my leave so as not to test anyones patience. Driving back down the lane and closer to the hedge I had another look, this time the bird flew high and towards us and within a minute it had landed on the telegraph wires along the road. Stealthily I moved towards it but the birders leaving the site showed that the bird could be approached closely by car. Shortly I was left alone with the masked bandit who just got on with a late feeding flurry in the golden evening light. I was exhilarated by the quality of the views, particularly in light of the distance of observation in its preferred hedge. When the sun dropped behind the steel grey clouds along the horizon the light failed and I headed home a happy chap.
Enjoying the views I took my leave so as not to test anyones patience. Driving back down the lane and closer to the hedge I had another look, this time the bird flew high and towards us and within a minute it had landed on the telegraph wires along the road. Stealthily I moved towards it but the birders leaving the site showed that the bird could be approached closely by car. Shortly I was left alone with the masked bandit who just got on with a late feeding flurry in the golden evening light. I was exhilarated by the quality of the views, particularly in light of the distance of observation in its preferred hedge. When the sun dropped behind the steel grey clouds along the horizon the light failed and I headed home a happy chap.
A couple of days later something else great and grey befell me. I have been waiting a little while for Ben to finish a painting that enthralled me from the moment I saw it. A huge pillarbox canvas of scandinavian pines sheltering the ghost of the forest. My last trip to Finland cleaned up on the northern owls and this Great Grey Owl was a highlight amongst highlights. The memory of seeing this bird solemnly eyeballing us from his perch before drifting silently on arced wings through the needling boughs had stayed with me. When I saw that Ben had captured that shared moment with such sense of presence I needed to buy it and have the chance to relish it everyday.....here it is on my snug wall.
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