I was getting ready for work early this morning in Oxfordshire when a message from my good friend Pete Brash immediately caught my attention. During a breeding bird survey in Daresbury, Warrington, Pete had just discovered a Woodchat Shrike. Knowing I was over three hours away, I realised instantly that there was no chance of me seeing it that day. A familiar sense of frustration set in. I had missed the Frodsham Marsh bird back in 1996 while I was abroad, and now history seemed to be repeating itself.
As news of the shrike spread, social media quickly filled with messages and photographs, leaving me completely “gripped off”. Adding to the torture, several excellent images of the bird began landing in my inbox.
(c)Paul Brewster
Then, remarkably, seventy-two hours later came the news I had barely dared hope for: the bird was still present. After completing my morning tasks on site, I wasted no time and began the three-hour drive north. With clear roads and good fortune on my side, I made excellent progress. On arrival, a short ten-minute walk along the canal brought me to a small group of birders already watching the bird. They quickly put me onto it, and there it was. What a beauty, and what an exceptional find by Mr Brash.
(c)Owen Parsons
(c)Owen Parsons
Previous Cheshire and Wirral records:
1908 Two birds together near Congleton-2nd May
1954 Birkenhead-22nd June-early July
1958 Middle Eye-Hilbre-10th May
1996-Frodsham Marsh-Juvenile-4th to 7th September
(c) S Rowlands
1998-Hilbre Island-Juvenile-Trapped-9th-11th August
(c) Barry Barnacal
Remarkably, this bird was discovered by one of the observers of the first bird sighting at Hilbre Island 40 years earlier.