Brown Shrike at Upper Hollesley Common

On Wed 22nd October, news of a possible Brown Shrike filtered out on the news services, the initial picture was inconclusive and people were hedging their bets but as soon as David W. said Brown Shrike still on the Common, I elected to go. I left work at 2.30pm and quicly collected optical equipment and camera gear. Drving down I was grateful to receive directions from the Ferguson as it has been some years since I last visited this spot. The A12 defacto speed limit seems to virtually 30 mph all the way to Melton with all the Sizewell work and solar farms springing up & utterly destroying the once pretty landscape. Passing Sutton Hoo and then forking left I drove down to Upper Hollesly Common parking the far side on the left and there were several people staring at several large bushes near the road including Jane & Paul F. Unfortunately the bird had flown and buried itself in a very large bush quite close to the road about a minute before I had arrived and I had a very nervous edgy wait, especially when several kind people including Jane offered me a chance to look through their scopes and I still couldn't see it! Finally, when Jane relocated the bird, just above a dark hole oin the bush and a verticle branch, I could finally see the a fantastic immature 1st winter Brown Shrike, albeit only the first part of the breast could be seen and then later its back and then finally its head with the thick black mask and generally brown colouration on the crown and back, with thick dark buff barring on the sides of the upper breast. It then flew right and perched fully out by the side of a smaller bush to the right before flying again to another just right of that again showing fully out on the right hand side of the bush. It then flew back left to the big large bush. Finally I saw it fly well right and into the bottom quater of a large Pine on the left hand side the Pine nearest the road, I assume it was going to roost? Finally by the original Shrike bushes a fine male Yellowhammer was calling his contact note from the very top of a bush. Apologies for the appalling record shot pics, it took time for me to actiually see the bird and it was some distance away and in poor light when I finally managed pics, easily the worst I have seen!

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