I will complete today’s post in the order that the events happened.

I t was a great day again with cloudless skies and strong sun. I decided that a trip to see the Red Backed Shrike was probably the thing to do and who knows what else I may stumble on, and that is just what happened. Within a minute of the car I heard the distinctive low hissy call of a Dartford Warbler. I expected to see a pair and hopefully their youngsters, but it turned out to be this lovely male on his own. I didnt linger too long as I wanted to see if the Red Backed Shrikes had survived the weekends mobs! On the way down the bank I paused at the Willow Warbler territory and in the few minutes there took this photo of one with a newly caught Scorpion Fly. It filled me with immense satisfaction because I had guessed exactly where he was going to perch, right at the top of the hawthorn bush just as before. The camera was focused on the spot and even though he was there for no more than 3 seconds I still got two great shots. Scorpion Flies are weird looking insects that eat the prey out of spiders webs. So it was his turn to be prey today.

On to the Shrike and yes he was there and safe as houses. Right at the top of his usual perch, he would leave it “Flycatcher” style to catch a bee and then settle back to kill it. From time to time he would disappear and I suspect he was delivering food to his mate and hopefully chicks.

From the Shrike territory I walked on to an area that I had been told contained Redstarts……… a secret for a while because of giving away the location of the Shrikes…………. I took photos of both the male and female. This was quite hard, the light was very dappled in the shady area and it made getting a good photograph a difficult task. I had never quite realised how absolutely stunning Redstarts are and I was taken by the wonderful contrast between grey black and orange. The hen is a gorgeous bird, with a subdued colour and red under the vent.

On my walk back I passed a pond and checked for any dragonflies and guess what? There was a male Broad Bodied Chaser. Yesterday I mentioned that I had seen 7 females and wondered why no males? I think I know the answer. The males are over water in their territories while the females are away from water along hedge rows etc.
While still a way from the car I took a photo of a Warbler that seemed a bit large and for a moment I was confused. This turned out to be my frst ever Wood Warbler. Very yellow on the breast with a distinct eye stripe and much stockier than a Chiffchaff or Willow Warbler.
So a great day with 4 species of bird that some less fortunate birdwatchers would not see in their entire lifetime! Red Backed Shrike, Darford Warbler, Wood Warbler and both sexes of Redstart