FINALLY!...Masked Shrike (plus OBP & Glossy Ibis)

Masked Shrike, Spurn

At last! Some time to spare for a trip to see a new bird.

Spurn was the destination (of course) so this meant I was up and away by 4:45am...weighed down by gallons of Red Bull.

It was a great days birding. Two very nice but suicidal Barn Owls played chicken(?) on the A17 and a large Badger was watched meandering along the verge of the A15 between Spalding and Lincoln. These were the only things I noticed until I reached the Well field and parked up.

The Masked Shrike has been increasingly mobile and was in hedgerows North of the road but showed well for a few minutes before disappearing. It was over an hour before it was relocated again, along Beacon Lane.

While at the original site a call over someone's CB said there was a Common Rosefinch also along Beacon Lane but this was equally as elusive. It was while looking for the Rosefinch that the Masked Shrike was relocated and it showed well before moving back into the hedgerows. As I was about to follow it I noticed a flock of Greenfinches on nearby Hawthorns. The Rosefinch was associating with the Greenfinches and I had brief views of it perched before it too headed into neighbouring fields.

Masked Shrike, Spurn

Migrants were few and far between with only one Northern Wheatear, a Chiffchaff and small flocks of Meadow Pipit and Sky Lark noted. I decided to head back home via Frampton RSPB reserve near Boston.

At Frampton there were very few waders compared with recent days. Common Snipe, Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Avocet and Ruff being noted. Three was the highest number seen of any of these species.

The Wet Grasslands part of the reserve held the most birds with a flock of Wigeon, 2 Pintail, a female Garganey, Yellow Wagtail , 21 Little Egrets and the now obligatory, showy, Glossy Ibis. A nice Sparrowhawk caused a bit of consternation amongst the Linnets before flying off with one of their number.