Walberswick Woodchat

The weather was much better than expected and an early morning visit to the Bee Orchid colony was fitted in. I then went onto another site nearby and managed to see a Green Hairstreak photographed on an Oak leaf. A hovering Kestrel was also seen. In the garden today, a medium sized Frog in the garden pond, took delight in hiding underneath some newly cut foliage that fell into the pond. Sunny spells revealed a Large Red Damselfly perched on the bush and Marsh marigold leaves. Mid afternoon, I drove down to Walberswick common via Church lane, just before the church and amongst the gorse several 4 Dartford Warblers seen and the 1st summer male Woodchat Shrike, a smart bird with a brown rather than a black back, was seen perched on a stick in the cleared area before it flew to the gorse. A photographer explained to me it was doing a regular wide circuit of the area. It flew across and to some other gorse, catching a beetle and quickly devouring it. It then flew over to a Silver Birch tree before flying back to the gorse area. It was then seen by the wire bordering the perimeter of the playing field.