Brown Shrike: Staines Moor, Middlesex

Another pleasant 'twitch' with a not-too-large gathering. Now in to its eighth day, the first-winter Brown Shrike was showing well, although sometimes distant. Initially it was thought to be a Red-backed Shrike. However, questions were asked, and the ID nailed.
I did manage to find a couple of fuzzy images among all the sharp ones (:-) and those of you with really good imaginations may even be able to make out some salient features which distinguish this bird from other shrikes !!





Images details:
c.100m @400mm; f5.6; tripod; sized 135%

[1] iso.100 @1/200th sec.
[2] iso.400 @1/800th sec.

Wryneck: Bucks

Still in 'twitch' mode today, so I headed over to Lathbury, near Newport Pagnell, where a Wryneck had been found yesterday on some allotments. The light was reasonable, but the bird was elusive. After some time it showed well, but a little distant for the camera. It spent a few minutes in a hedge-line, eventually returning to the allotment where it became elusive once more.



1/100th sec, f/6.3, iso400, sraw, with tripod.

Glossy Ibis: Cambridgeshire

Plenty of images around at the moment of the recent Glossy Ibis bonanza. However, starved as we are of them in Bedfordshire, combined with the pull of Buff-breasted Sandpiper on the same pit, it was a late afternoon hop over the border to Diddlington pit, near Little Paxton, Cambs, to see one. The sandpiper was too far for the 400mm, but the ibis was down to c.20m albeit in low light. Images were 1/80th - 1/100th sec hand held !!