28th February 2024: Blackdown Shrike

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 We took Sue out to day on her first ever visit to Blackdown, a  heathland common, with some woodland areas and stunning views across forested slopes to the valley. 

Our target bird was Great Grey Shrike, which we had seen here last year. It took us a bit of hunting to find it, but it was eventually located around 100m from where we had seen it last year.

Great Grey Shrike

The area was generally pretty quiet, but another highlight was the beautiful, lilting song of the Woodlark, cascading melodically down the scale. We were delighted when a couple of birds flew in, landing on a bush,giving decent scope views for some, although they didn’t stay there for long. 

Although it was slow birding, the scenery was lovely, and it was good to be outside and in a different place, so overall a grand day out!

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