Hi there,
I was wondering if anyone could help with the location of the red backed shrike?
I've had a wander around sand point, and thorough the gate, but have had no luck in finding the stile.
I've parked in the national trust car park.
So if anyone could help me out it would be greatly appreciated

Jess Cripps

Hello Jess,

I was there yesterday afternoon for 3 hours, and missed it by a few mins on 3 separate occasions. What you want is the track that skirts the sea at the base of Sand Point (not up the steps), follow this until it goes up onto the lower slope and you will come to the style. Scan up the slope anywhere after the style, between it and the end of the Point.

Good luck! Jeff.

Hi Jeff,

That's such a shame you missed it!
Found the path not long after I posted this actualy, and after two hours of looking it evenutaully showed and quite well, although a little mobile. Haven't seen it since 13:45 though.

Thanks for your help

Jess

Still present around 4 o'clock this afternoon and showing really well approximately 75 yards west of the stile and only halway down the slope.
Having missed it on the two previous days, I was particularly pleased to get such excellent views.

19-Sep-14
My previous, un-walked, directions (above) are not that good, unless you’re young and fit enough to scramble up a steep rocky path from the seaward side to the style. Better to take the steps and then work downward to the style on a steepish grassy path from near the trig-point. We were luckier this afternoon and had very good ‘scope views looking down from the top, just west of the trig-point, as the shrike perched on bushes and bramble half-way up the steep sloping grassy face of the down.

A distant photo on my website.

From 11 until 2pm showed really well, but was easily spooked by people.Go to the top and walk past the trig point,about 200m on the left hand side view down to the sea,there is a wooden style bird often seen 7m to right hand side and the red bush about 20m away.
i got great shots on film which i will edit and put on my channel

Lovely views this morning from 8 till 9:30 in the glorious sunshine. The shrike was fairly active moving through the bushes, heading back towards the stile. It was also slowly coming down the slope. Many tanks to Jeff and James for perfect instructions on where to find this bird.

23-Sep-14
And still present this morning, per twitter.

No sign of the Shrike on sunday, might be long gone.
Plenty of Wheatear near the end of the Point, plus the usual Stonechats and Linnets in the bushes.
I also saw what I thought might be a Lesser Whitethroat, though could just be a Whitethroat. It was a little darker behind the eye than other Whitethroats I had seen!
Distant pics are on my blog, if anyone could help identify.

Lesser whitethroat's spot on. Lesser whitethroat's are usually duller and more cleanly marked as well as having a dark face. Also, I noticed that your top curlew picture is actually a whimbrel. Hope that helps!

Thank you Oliver!

I actually thought it was a Whimbrel at first aswell!
I'm not great at Waders, and as there were so many Curlews about I went with them instead, even though this bird was on it's own on the rocks at the end of the Point, away from the Curlews!

I even checked 'Whimbrel' online, but many didn't have the white back my picture showed!
Doh!

Why is it a Whimbrel?

The rear of the inner primaries look quite barred to me and the whole wing is quite pale with just the outer primaries dark - what am I missing?

Rich M

If you compare the pictures of curlew and whimbrel, then you can see that the whimbrel is much greyer, whereas I find that curlew tend to be more brown. If you look closely at the picture, you can make out the horizontal stripes along its head. Also, shape/length of the bill can be a useful feature to look at.