Working in the middle of a nature reserve, as we do here at The Lodge, has a lot of benefits. From lunchtime walks through the woods to being able to watch an impressive variety of birds coming to the feeder outside our window, we are very lucky indeed.
Today, we had an extra-special treat with the arrival of a very unusual and exciting visitor to the newly-created heathland area opposite the shop.
News that a great grey shrike had been found early this afternoon was quick to filter through, creating a real buzz around the place. The great grey shrike is not only a rare visitor to the UK, it is also a very handsome bird. This, thrush-sized pallid hunter is black, white and grey with a distinctive 'bandit's mask' across its face, a long tail and a hooked beak. Shrikes are sometimes known as 'butcher birds' because of their habit of creating a 'larder' by catching small mammals and impaling them on thorny bushes to eat later.
A small number of great grey shrikes had arrived on the East Coast from Scandinavia over the last couple of weeks and this bird had obviously made its way inland in search of a suitable territory. Hopefully, it will hang around and perhaps even spend the winter on the heath.
On this blue-skied, sunny afternoon, Lucinda and I headed down for a quick peek and were lucky enough to see the shrike perched high in a dead pine, keeping a look out for prey and then flying between and posing on some lower perches.
Needless to say everyone that saw the shrike today, both staff and visitors, went home feeling very happy indeed...