Great Grey Shrike

There was excitement on the reserve this afternoon as three of our volunteers spotted a Great Grey Shrike in the tree tops just above the lake - a very lucky sighting! This is the first record of this species on the reserve, although they have been seen in previous years on and around the training area.

Small numbers of Great Grey Shrikes overwinter in the UK each year, migrating from their breeding grounds at higher latitudes. They feed on small vertebrates and large invertebrates, hunting over open ground such as the re-planted area of trees just above the lake.  Once caught, their prey is often impaled on a thorn and stored for later, or for larger catches to help them tear off pieces of meat and feed.