Male red backed shrike (Lanius collurio) feeding on a mouse at its larder, France (c) Dave Watts / naturepl.com A spotted redshank, resplendent in its dusky breeding plumage, stopping off on my Somerset coastal patch as it headed south from its Arctic nesting grounds. It is this latter category which concerns me, because here in Britain we have a creature we thought we had lost, which might yet turn out to be a Lazarus species of our own, and which may recover naturally. In 2010, for example, in addition to a pair in northern Scotland, two pairs nested on Dartmoor, the first in England for nearly 20 years. They are wonderful birds, and to get them back here would be a small beacon of hope among all the devastation that industrial agriculture has caused to our once-abundant and now savagely depleted wildlife. It is a lovely mini-predator, known as the ‘butcher bird’, as it impales its prey on thorn bushes, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Since then, in a Lazarus-like resurrection, a few pairs have bred on Dartmoor and in the north of Scotland, though their status remains precarious. A larger bird, with a russet back and grey head, facing away from me on the same bush. We love appreciating each other's images, plus helping and encouraging each other. Shrikes Two species of shrike are regular seasonal visitors to the UK and red-backed shrikes used to breed here. The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. A former breeder, now only visible during spring and autumn migration when birds travel to and from tropical Africa for the winter. The Red-backed Shrike is named as a protected bird in Britain under a Biodiversity Action Plan. A. The breeding range stretches from Western Europe east to central Russia but it only rarely occurs in the British Isles. A group of shrikes are known as an "abbatoir" or "watch" of shrikes. Since the Second World War only two species of long-established and formerly common birds have become extinct in Britain, the red-backed shrike being one, and the other being the wryneck… Every autumn, red-backed shrikes regularly turn up along the east coast, mostly youngsters on their first migratory journey heading south from Scandinavia to winter in Africa. It is a lovely bird: the red-backed shrike. By 1974 the wryneck had ceased to nest here; by 1989 so too had the shrike. Numbers declined sharply during the 20th century. ... Birdgirl UK FaceBook (Mya-Rose Craig) George Rabin; Katie Horrocks website (Animals) Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. Its dramatic decline to virtual extinction as a UK breeding species make this a Red List bird. Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. Barrow Tank No2: 1 Bar-headed Goose, 329 Canda Geese, 9 Swift, 43 Little Grebe, 4 Common Sandpiper, 3 Sand Martin, 100 House Martin, 1 Wheatear. The Red-backed Shrikes range is decreasing and it is now probably extinct in Great Britain as a breeding bird, although it is frequent on migration. The West Midlands produced a cracking male on Saturday My first chance to get over to Sutton Coldfield came on the Bank Holiday Monday with Dave Chapman and whilst the sun didn't shine, at least the shrike was showing well, busy catching insects … A group of shrikes are known as an "abbatoir" or "watch" of shrikes. The solid, slightly hooked bill is typical of the shrike family throughout the world. It was part of my fathers collection and produced by ORIGINAL REPLIC BIRDS EGGS It has a numbered sticker from the makers but I think the catalogue has changed over the years As it turned to reveal a black bandit mask, I heard myself yelling “red-backed shrike!”. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. I remember seeing what was then the last British breeding pair, in a car park in the Suffolk Brecks, almost thirty years ago. Indeed, given their carnivorous diet I have always wondered why we don’t categorise shrikes as birds of prey. Others are much more modest in terms of length of disappearance, such as the Lord Howe Island stick insect which seemed extinct by 1920 at its islet home off Australia, but was rediscovered in 2001. A soaring song and a well-stocked larder stir memories of species lost. Red-backed Shrike: Passage visitor to the UK. Free UK postage This is a wonderful vintage framed and glazed picture of a Red Backed Shrike by Alistair Robertson Beautifully detailed picture of a Red Backed Shrike sitting on a branch Framed and glazed in a lovely simple gold coloured wooden frame with classic cream mount and inner gold slip Measures approx 40 x 44 cm (inc frame) Red-backed Shrike is undergoing a severe decline in Spain’s Basque Country, with a … The Red-backed Shrike was once a common bird across southern Britain, but has disappeared with the intensification of agricultural practices, though it is still seen on passage. Breeding and Nesting. With its dove-grey head, black mask, white throat, russet back and delicate, peachy breast, it is undoubtedly beautiful. The red-backed shrike was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under its current binomial name Lanius collurio. You can find our Community Guidelines in full here. 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