Shriking Lucky - 06/06/2025

After moving back to Liverpool - my home away from home - to start a PhD, I have had relatively little time to go birding. However, weaponised by the addition of a car, I now have the freedom of travel without any reliance on public transport. This was exercised on a trip to Burton Mere a few weeks prior which yielded a White Stork (that I refound) as well as Spotted Redshank and Spoonbill.

So, when news broke of a stunning male Woodchat Shrike on the Bridgewater Canal in Daresbury, Cheshire, I simply couldn't resist it. With a gluttony of great photos surfacing on Twitter (I refuse to call it X) and the birding seemingly stay put, I hopped in the car with the intention of my first twitch upon returning to Merseyside. Luckily, the journey was short, picking up my good friend Marc on the way also allowed for some top company and some good chats.

We soon arrived, after parking up at a local housing estate, we embarked on the walk to the pin point that our trusted BirdGuides had provided us. The canal provided some surprisingly good habitat. This thought was proved when Marc spotted the Shrike from a distance on the pylon across the water. Upon getting closer it became evident that we were to get top class views of the bird from point-blank range.

Woodchat Shrike (Photos by Marc)

I remarked to Marc how straightforward of a twitch it was - wouldn't it be nice if every twitch was like this! The Woodchat Shrike was also particularly striking in flight - this was particularly clear when it flew across to the train tracks, demonstrating its striking red head and bold white markings. The bird seemed very content catching flies and feeding off the trees; I could see it potentially staying put for a while! As we left the site, the bird remained unbothered by the close human presence of us twitchers, continuing to offer up amazing views. All in all, a great first twitch back and an excellent way to spend a Friday night!!!

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