Tuesday 20 August 2013

First WOODCHAT SHRIKE in Northamptonshire since perhaps 1869

A juvenile WOODCHAT SHRIKE was discovered on Harrington Airfield this lunchtime 2 miles NNE of Langport (Northants), constituting only the third claim for the county and the first in over 130 years (previous records involved an adult at Gore Piece, Duddington, in 'spring' 1869 and a female said to have been picked up dead at Burghley Top, near Stamford, on the exceptional date of 9th January 1883. I made my way up there as soon as I got the call - the bird showing down to 45 yards from 1500-1740 hours. Here is a selection of the 322 shots I took..........