Tuesday 29 March 2011

GG Shrike & Vismig at Hutton Roof.


I managed to get up there earlier today (0800hrs-1030hrs). (Click over photo to enlarge, and click again if you want to supersize)

Whilst heading towards the Common, I soon spotted the Shrike which as usual was sentinel and was in the trees above the footpath not far from the gate which leads up to the Trig (see first photo). And what a privelige, the Shrike actually stayed put while I walked quietly underneath it towards the Common gate. Usually it would be away at 50 metres distance. And it does'nt stop there, because whilst at the gate, I heard it start chunnering and murmuring and then it would make a shrieky trilling and it repeated this on several occasions. Most of the time it was being distantly mobbed by blogging Meadow Pipits and at times, odd ones would actually perch themselves about 3 or 4 branches away from the Shrike within the same tree. It stayed in that same tree while I was at the Trig for maybe up to 20 minutes before dropping over into its "favourite tree", remaining on the Dalton side. By about 0930hrs it must have moved on yet again, because I never saw it anymore.

I did try and make a recording of the bird calling on my mobile phone, but sadly it is very quiet and the recording could do with editing and enhancing, but if I could get it OK I would only be too pleased to share it. So if there is anyone out there who could try and sort it I would only be too pleased to send it through by email on a wav file.

Vismig this morning was really poor and hardly got going whilst I was there, but what bit there was even started to petre out by 0930hrs I gave up by 1000hrs. By then it had got cold and had started with light rain. But whilst there I had: (all North West to North)

Meadow Pipits: 71 (best parties: 20,10,5)

Redpoll: 2 (1N and 1E)

also had: 2 Green Woodpeckers yaffling to one another, one at Charcoal Burners and the other over in Lancelot.

Also: the Male Stonechat on territory, Bullfinch 2, Ravens, Sparrowhawk.