13:33, 12 MAR 2016
UPDATED 13:34, 12 MAR 2016
The Great Grey Shrike, a bird of prey
that stores its kills, will have twitchers flocking to Poors Allotment
A Great Grey Shrike, a rare and elusive
bird of prey which winters in the UK
A rare bird of prey has been spotted
hunting in a Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT) nature reserve near Camberley .
The Great Grey Shrike was identified at
Poors Allotment by eagle-eyed SWT officer James Herd, who said it was his first
sighting of the bird during his seven years working in heathland management.
“It’s an incredibly rare bird and it’s
very difficult to get a glimpse, so I was really lucky to witness it,” he said.
Rare natural sightings in Surrey
Not much bigger than a blackbird, the
Great Grey Shrike hunts small mammals, lizards and beetles and will even kill
other birds as big as greenfinches. It then stores its catch in a bush or tree,
to devour later.
“It’s known as the butcher bird, because
it has this unusual behaviour of keeping its prey in a makeshift larder,” said
Mr Herd “Sometimes, it even impales mammals or birds on a thorn for
safekeeping.”
Only 200 Great Grey Shrikes visit the UK every year between October and May,
travelling from Europe, Asia and north Africa.
'Vital habitat'
Mr Herd explained that Poors Allotment
offers the perfect habitat for the species, a relatively quiet heathland with a
good food source and plenty of high perches so the bird can look out for prey.
Historically, this species has also been
known to visit the trust’s reserves at Chobham Common and Ash Ranges , he said.
“SWT works hard to preserve this type of
heathland habitat, which is vital for these birds,” he added. “If we lost these
habitats, the shrike would have nowhere to live in winter.”
The few Great Grey Shrikes wintering in
the UK will soon migrate
back to their breeding grounds in Scandinavia .
In the meantime, however, birdwatchers
may be lucky enough to see one perched on a fence post or high in a tree on
heathland, farmland or in scrub.
SWT has appealed for anyone who spots or
photographs this rare bird to record the sighting at www.surreywildlifetrust.org/SBIC
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