Away Day for A Great Grey 21st February 2026

I have seen a fair number of Great Grey Shrikes over the years in various parts of Britain and when I first moved to Oxfordshire I took my then very young daughter to Farmoor Reservoir and one of the first birds we saw was a Great Grey Shrike which unbeknown to us was spending the winter in the fields and bushes around the western end of the reservoir. Its presence prompted a small newly formed reserve between the reservoir and the River Thames to be named Shrike Meadow.

It has been a while since I saw my last Great Grey Shrike - four years to be exact and that was on Shetland in the autumn. Always a scarce winter visitor to Britain varying between 10-60 records per year they have latterly become very much more scarce for reasons unknown but possibly to do with global warming. They breed in northern Europe, (north of 50 degrees northern latitude) and Asia and migrate south in winter to more temperate regions.

This winter there have been very few records but one was found frequenting fields near the village of Fillingham in Lincolnshire on the 10th of January and has established a winter territory there, being seen daily.

Its territory is based around a large square field of rough grass bordered by thick thorn hedges, this field appearing to be set aside from all the surrounding fields which are cultivated.

With nothing on the local birding radar on Saturday and no rain forecast for Fillingham, on a whim I decided to re-acquant myself with this fierce and charismatic predator of the hedgerows.

It is a long drive to Fillingham, longer than I anticipated but after two and a  half hours I found myself amongst the flat wide fields of Lincolnshire and passing through the small village of Fillingham came to rest on the corner of a country road.

Not quite sure where to go from here but knowing I had to walk, luckily another birder drew up behind me and knew where to go. It was easy as  adjacent to the road was a locked gate blocking access to the farm fields but a gap by the gate allowed access to a footpath leading out alongside a hedgerow with the shrike's favoured rough grass field on the other side.

We took the path and then went through a gap in the hedge to find ourselves standing at the edge of the rough field which was surrounded on all four sides by tall thorny hedgerows that looked as if they had been deliberately left untended and joined two other birders already looking at the shrike perched in the hedgerow on the far side of the field.

There was little other birdlife around apart from some Grey Partridge, hidden in the rank grass and calling in the field but frustratingly remaining invisible while Skylarks sang overhead.

The shrike was an obvious but distant grey and white presence in an otherwise dark and leafless, unkempt and tangled hedgerow.

We watched it preening and occasionally dropping to the ground but always flying back up to what appeared to be its favourite perch. A bit too distant for decent photos we waited for it to move closer but it was in no hurry and remained where it was. The other three birders left and I was on my own standing on a wet muddy track with the wind blowing fiercely onto what was quite an elevated and exposed position as I had a panoramic view across land that sloped away in both directions into a murky distance.

The hedgeline where I stood initially to observe the shrike

I was joined by another local birder and at his suggestion we approached the shrike more closely which showed little alarm and remained steadfastly on its perch. 

Satisfied we withdrew and resumed our position standing under the hedge to wait and see what the shrike might do. A few minutes later the shrike suddenly flew along the hedge, a flickering of black and white wings, mobbed by a Reed Bunting and away to the far end of the field to perch there briefly. 

And then flew back over our heads to perch at the top of the hedge we were standing under.

This gave us an unexpected and welcome opportunity to get some more images as it swayed at the very top of a twiggy branch, buffeted by the wind.

This shrike has become well known for hovering like a kestrel low over the field and pouncing on voles but it only did this once and briefly while I was there and unfortunately I missed the opportunity as I was the wrong side of the hedge. I waited for a couple of hours but the shrike spent most of the subsequent time perched in the hedge and in the end I grew tired of waiting.and decided it was probably time to make the long drive home.