A Great Grey Shrike at Knettishall

2nd November 2025

I was at Lackford Lakes when news came through of a Great Grey Shrike at Knettishall, just 30 minutes down the road, so off I went. I didn't know the area at all so just cruised down Norwich Lane until I saw a small crowd of people gathered by a gated track entrance with an array of scopes and cameras. The bird was favouring a hedge and a wood pile at the end of the track, but was also dropping out of view periodically. Luckily the good light made up for the distance.

A single branch of a Hawthorn bush made a perfect perch.

The log pile was not really an appropriate habitat for this bird, but it appeared to be finding lots of insects in the various nooks and crannies.

But its favourite perch was in the hedgerow. I apologise for most of the poses being very similar but, apart from the first shot on Hawthorn, it always chose exactly the same perch on rose hips and faced into the wind.

Well, what a cracking bird enjoyed in good company. Nice to bump into Robert Kitchen and meet Kenny Brooks, and see Carol and Stephen again on the last day of their Suffolk holiday before heading back to Somerset. Bon voyage!!!

A Day at Rainham Marshes

30th October 2025

A few hours to spare so off to Rainham Marshes to receive my welcome from the House Sparrows outside to visitor centre.

First stop was the Purfleet Hide for breakfast but met with a rather quiet scene. A tractor had been topping the grass around the scrape and therefore the mere was totally devoid of birds, so after a quick cup of tea time to move on to the MDZ. Very quiet here as well but a Dabchick provided the entertainment.

Now on to the refurbished Butts Hide and what a good job they have done. Here the scrape has been re-profiled and a couple of Pied Wagtails were enjoying the freshly turned mud.

At the Ken Barrett Hide a female Pheasant was strutting her stuff....................

........................and just look at those tail feathers!!!

In the margins a Snipe was feeding quite close to the hide

But the star of the show here today was the Grey Wagtail which came within just a few yards, allowing some close-ups.

In the woodland, a single Goldfinch was waiting for his turn on the feeders.

Now back to the Purfleet Hide and birds were starting to return to the mere. The nearest bird was this Little Egret feeding in the shallows...................

....................and then showing us just how big the fish it caught was.

Winter ducks are now returning like this female Wigeon................

.........................and drake Teal.

The shoveler couldn't seem to make us their mind. Some males were still emerging from their eclipse plumage...................

....................while others had finished some time ago.

But the stars of the show today were the 6-7 Pintails. which unfortunately were keeping their distance.

And the female waved us goodbye.

Another great day at Rainham and good to meet Sid Stanley and have a catch-up with Messrs Plume, Lay, Bell and Tranfield.

A Brown Shrike at Upper Hollesley Common

28th October 2025

My first visit to Upper Hollesley Common in the hope of seeing the Brown Shrike that has been present for a few days now. Recently the bird was remaining fairly loyal to some scrub just next to the car park, albeit elusive, but had now re-located to within the perimeter fence of the MoD compound. It was possible to get very good views of the bird but you had to view it through two chain-link fences which didn't bode well for photography. So after rattling off a few record shots we went for a wander around the area in the hope it would re-locate to somewhere more suitable.

There were quite a few Stonechats about including this pair which were feeding from the fence-line along on of the tracks. This is the male...................

........................and the female.

There were also a few Yellowhammers around and this male sat up on high and was fairly confiding, allowing us to get quite close.

One of the bonuses today were the Crossbills that were trying to get down to the puddles to drink in a rather busy car park. Here are some shots of the males.

The females are a much drabber green colour, presumably so they are less conspicuous at the nest.

Further along the road were some more puddles which had attracted a flock of 10 birds, and here are just five of them.

So time now to go back to the compound to see if the shrike was in a more favourable position. It was still in the compound, but instead of perching on low bushes and hence having to be viewed through two fences, it was now perching on top of the inner fence and allowing uninterrupted views. This also had the advantage that it was colour-coordinated with the rust on the chain-link fence and the barbed wire.

Well, what an amazing bird.

Also nice to meet Carol and Stephen from Somerset who happened to be on holiday in Suffolk. I have a feeling I might be seeing them again soon !!!