The actual Great Grey Shrike at Pig Bush early this morning. Photo by Graeme Loader.
With a Great Grey Shrike at Pig Bush over the past few days, it was a ‘no-brainer’ to go down there today and hopefully see this superb Winter visitor to the UK. It was a very poor year in 2024 for this species in Hampshire and the UK generally, but this year is making up for that with birds seen at Woolmer, Thursley Common and now here in the New Forest. How many more are there that have not been found in the New Forest yet? However, despite our best efforts, the bird eluded us today despite being seen by several observers early this morning and we got a good soaking for our efforts too. Sadly, as some respected birder I know said, it had been similar to a ‘Benny Hill’ sketch with thoughtless ‘toggers’ chasing the bird to get their ‘money’ shot of the poor bird over the past few days. Same goes for the Red-tailed / Isabelline Shrike at Wood Mill Nature Reserve today, where a couple of idiots were chasing this bird until they were told to behave themselves and leave the bird alone.
Pig Bush, New Forest:
Geoff kindly picked me up at my house this morning and along with Andy, we all agreed that we were going to the New Forest to hopefully see the Great Grey Shrike. Fellow birder Graeme Loader had done an early morning trip there and successfully saw the bird and got excellent photos of the Shrike (NOTE: TO ALL ‘TOGGERS’ : he didn't have to chase the bird either as it flew to a nearby bush in front of him).
Above, one of the Stonechats that kept us entertained; a female bird on the heath. Below, oh dear!
We arrived around 9.30am and made our way from the Pig Bush Car Park where there were at least 30 birders spread out all around the heath in search of the Shrike. Most waited patiently from where they stood as we got a good vantage point and waited. During our time there, we had sightings of a group of four Stonechats over the heath and at least two Dartford Warblers; one of which was definitely a female bird. Overhead, a few Skylarks and Meadow Pipits were seen and a couple of Siskins were heard flying over also. A Wren was scolding somewhere in the heather and a Blackbird flew out of a Gorse bush and quickly disappeared.
One of a few birds seen today, this Raven was one of three birds.
Some young lad, who caught several trains to be here from Hertfordshire (!), latched onto us and low and behold, he was carrying a camera that I had ordered and arrived in the post this morning; a Nikon P950 Bridge Camera. So I had the opportunity to take a good look at it and also judge its weight. It is my birthday present (next week) from Becky. of which I am so very grateful. I have had my Panasonic Lumix now for around 15 years and it has been temperamental in trying to open over the past year and so I finally 'bit the bullet' and decided to upgrade. The young lad who joined us asked me what he had photographed earlier and showed me the back of his camera of which it turned out to be a Goshawk. He was chuffed to bits. A ‘lifer’ for him!
More birders staking out for the Shrike in the sunshine and below, heavy showers over Pig Push.
It was sunshine and showers throughout the morning, but later in the afternoon, when we tried our luck over by Shatterford Car Park, the rain settled in for the rest of the afternoon and so completely drenched, we made our way back home. The Shrike was reported on Birdguides that it was seen near the Bridge over the Shatterford side of the railway line around 1.30pm, but we didn't even see any birds while we were there! Back over at the Pig Bush area, we also saw three Ravens together over the woodland in the distance until they all split up and one flew over our heads. A Common Buzzard flew over and quickly disappeared over the woodland and a Kestrel was seen several times hunting over the nearby heath.
And now for some complete nonsense!
Another fellow birder briefly joined us, James Cutting, who was with his son and told us that he found a dead juvenile Merlin on the footpath. As Geoff said, juveniles are very susceptible to weather if they cannot hunt and mortality is high in young birds if they cannot hunt successfully. James said that there seemed to be no foul play with the bird, but a sad sight nonetheless. After a quick chat, he went off to Henfield to see the Isabelline / Red-tailed Shrike instead.
Above, there were a few Toadstools on show on the heath that included the large Brown Birch Bolete (above) and The Prince (below).
Though a bird sightings were few and far between and with no Great Grey Shrike on show, I was keeping my eye out on the fungi that was growing on the heath and around where the few trees there were on the heath and found the likes of Brown Birch Bolete, Brown Rim-roll and one species called The Prince; a species that looked very similar to a Field Mushroom. I, for one, will not eat any toadstools or mushrooms unless they come out of Tesco’s! Along the footpath, Geoff found a Devils Coachman Beetle and a Red Admiral flew over the heath at speed; all when the sun was actually out!
Above, Geoff found this Devils Coachman beetle on the footpath and below, one of the five Black Redstarts which had caught a Painted Lady butterfly over in Gosport. Photo by Emma Parkes.
OK, that's the second Great Grey Shrike we have ‘dipped’ over the past month, but we will try again if the bird lingers. But as Andy said, despite the Shrike ‘no-show’, the three of us still had a good day and what an absolute pleasure in not having to drive too. As mentioned earlier, James connected with the Isabelline / Red-tailed Shirke at Wood Mill and our other friends, Matt and Emma Parkes, went for the Black Redstarts in Gosport and successfully encountered up to FIVE female/immature birds there!
The Isabelle / Red-tailed Shrike at Wood Mill. Film footage by James Cutting.
