Shrike Two! - Lesser Grey Shrike, Plymouth

After seeing the red backed shrike at Chelson Meadow in June of this year I wasn't expecting to see another shrike in Plymouth for some time but on checking the web pages on Monday 19th September before leaving work at 8pm (no internet access at home at the moment) I was surprised to see that a lesser grey shrike had been found at Jennycliff in Plymouth - what!!!!!

I was back at work the next morning and with shrikes often being one day wonders (as the red backed shrike was) I wasn't hopeful of seeing it but on checking the sightings pages at work that morning it had been seen again and so I managed to leave work a few minutes early at 15:15 and headed off to try and see it. The bus home was painfully slow and stopped at every bus stop between Derriford Hospital and North Hill but I managed to catch the 16:15 ferry from The Barbican to Mount Batten and headed off along the coast path towards Jennycliff.

I met some birders in the car park below the tower at Mountbatten who informed me that the shrike had just flown off from the bushes in front of them but carrying on along the coastpath towards Jennycliff I soon found the shrike perched on top of a bush being admired by a gaggle (?) of birders. It showed very well, occassionally swooping down to snatch crickets from the nearby vegetation before returning to the top of the bush. It was a very smart looking bird with some white speckling on its black forehead and very nice to watch before a flyover sparrowhawk spooked it and it flew off, never to be seen again.

 Lesser Grey Shrike, Jennycliff

 Lesser Grey Shrike, Jennycliff

  Lesser Grey Shrike, Jennycliff

Lesser Grey Shrike, Jennycliff

It was surprisingly still present on the Wednesday and again on the Thursday and so I had another look for it after work on the Thursday but with no luck. With Friday off work I headed over to Jennycliff again in the morning and eventually found the shrike being admired by another gaggle (?) of birders further along the coast path towards Jennycliff than on the 20th. It was preening on top of a bush before continuing to decimate the local cricket population and eventually moved further down the cliffside but I had gotten some much better and closer views than on my previous visit.

Lesser Grey Shrike, Jennycliff

Lesser Grey Shrike, Jennycliff

A lovely bird, interesting to watch, a very nice surprise so close to home and my 5th shrike species in Devon. Also a lifer for me and it wasn't too twitchy although as usual there were quite a few birders with massive telescopes and even larger camera lenses who had to get as close to the bird as possible.

Also seen on my 3 visits to Jennycliff were a kestrel, an adult winter plumaged Mediterranean gull, a noisy adult and a noisy juvenile Sandwich tern, 2 ravens, a singing chiffchaff, a swallow, red admirals and speckled woods. Best of all though was a firecrest feeding in a row of small pines near the Mountbatten pub, a nice surprise as it fed amongst the branches having given itself away by its calls.

 Firecrest, Mount Batten

 Firecrest, Mount Batten