2 Tick Day! - 26.8.22

Turkestan Shrike

 At the end of June a shrike was found at Bempton Cliffs in East Yorkshire which when pinned down was identified as the UK’s 8th Turkestan/Red-tailed Shrike. Numerous weekends went by when I thought about going up but illness, injury, heat and general lethargy got in the way! Fast forward to the end of August and the bird was still present. It was only when another bird I needed was found up the coast that I finally pulled my finger out and headed north. 

I left home around 4am and was on site at 8.30am. A group of Tree Sparrow in the car park was a nice year tick and after a quick power walk up the coast path I joined a couple of other birders in a sheep field and there showing down to 20 feet was my first ever TURKESTAN SHRIKE. A lovely showy adult male sat motionless as it eyed up bugs in the grass. On occasion it flew down and grabbed something and ate it back in the bush. This was its 61st day in residence and it’s 62nd day was it’s last. Skin of the teeth! A quick scan out to sea added a single Shag to my year list.

Greater Sand Plover

Back at the car I set the sat nav for Redcar in Cleveland and despite being stuck behind numerous caravans I arrived just under 2 hours later and parked up. The ticket machine didn’t accept notes or cards so I had to download an app and pay that way. But the app didn’t offer me a way to pay so I thought sod it and went and joined the group of birders down on the beach. Just 40-50 feet away was my first ever GREATER SAND PLOVER. It was busy feeding amongst the seaweed oblivious to us all along with Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Sanderling which were all embarrassing year ticks! I managed some nice photos before I had to get back to the car in case I got a parking ticket! It was a welcome relief to see this bird as the only previous one I could’ve had a chance at seeing was at Snettisham RSPB for 2 days back in 2004. Unfortunately for the entirety of its stay I had severe food poisoning that I’d picked up at my cousins kids christening from some dodgy chicken!