Couldn't pass by the opportunity to see a Great Grey Shrike today between plans and boy, was I rewarded! Having listened to the stories of other Birders spending hours up their and not spotting it, I was greeted upon arrival by a singing Great Grey Shrike about 40 ft away from the path. 40ft away isn't too bad considering how big the mountain is! lol. I just about managed to get a photo between the dense branches good enough for an ID photo but the closer you got to the Bird the harder it got for photography as the Sun was on the opposite side. I'm happy either way though as it was my first sighting of a GGS and to have it on my patch meant a lot more.
In other news! The trip brought some other firsts in the form of a Green Tiger Beetle. Having done a little read up on them, it would seem that it is fairly early in the year to be seeing them in March. Typically between May - July for Green Tiger Beetles and though described as common, I've never seen one... Something else described as 'common' is the Common Lizard of which I saw several in various places on the South facing walls. If you look carefully, You'll also notice that the Lizard has what appears to be a double tail... Perhaps a regrowth gone wrong?
