Sandy Point
Hayling Island
- I was due to go down to the Hampshire/Sussex border to see the Red-backed Shrike yesterday but changed the plan at the last minute in order to go and purchase a new Piano keyboard for Sue Afterwards I went to the Ashdown Forest for an evening walk/birdwatch, finding a Whinchat, a male Stonechat and, my own favourite, 3 Wood Larks.
Today, after completing my domestic chores, I made the 100 minute drive to Sandy Point on the SE corner of Hayling Island arriving just after 4 pm. Weather conditions were excellent with temperatures well into the 20's and clear blue skies.
- Within minutes of arriving I joined a pair of birders who were viewing the shrike from outside the Sandy Point NR. The bird itself was inside the reserve on the other side of the fence. Sandy Point is a private nature reserve with access by permit only. I managed to get a good view in my binoculars but before I could set up my telescope it dropped down lower in the bushes and out of sight. My immediate feeling of elation was tempered by the relatively short duration of the viewing. With plenty of time in hand I waited for the bird to re-appear and after 30 minutes it duly did, showing well between several gorse bushes. For fully 20 minutes or so I enjoyed great views from a distance of approximately 20 metres.
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| Red-backed Shrike Library picture |
Although this was a first sighting of the Red-backed Shrike for me this year, it was not a new bird to me, having seen one in Sussex this time last year. This one lacked the vivid colour of the 2013 bird and was probably a juvenile.
The Shrike is a passage migrant, moving from the breeding grounds somewhere in Europe down to Tropical Africa for the winter.
Addition to UK 2014 Bird List:
Red-backed Shrike (260)
Well worth the long drive!
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