For the past three months I have been working with Paul Chester on some surveys at various sites between Whitby and Teesside. Early on in the project Paul said he'd allocate me the more interesting sites for birds whilst he took on the 'duller sites' as he worked on other aspects of the ecology. So, after a morning spent working on a different project I was surprised to get a call from Paul about a shrike he had found, but wasn't sure of its identification. From his description it was clearly a Woodchat Shrike. So, I headed up to the field and dung heaps west of Sneatonthorpe and soon after 11am was enjoying some cracking views of a nice male Woodchat Shrike and confirmed the identification. So much for his sites being the dull ones!!
Some of the secondaries appear brownish (appears as a pale line below the terials in the photo below) and there was a contrast between these feathers an the jet black of the rest of the upperparts, so I think this is a 1st summer male, rather than an adult as has been reported elsewhere. Although I'd welcome other opinions.
Some of the secondaries appear brownish (appears as a pale line below the terials in the photo below) and there was a contrast between these feathers an the jet black of the rest of the upperparts, so I think this is a 1st summer male, rather than an adult as has been reported elsewhere. Although I'd welcome other opinions.