Woodchat Shrike, Inishmore

Neal Warnock picked up this lovely first-winter Woodchat Shrike at Kilmurvey on Inishmore today. I was just up the road so didn't take long in reaching him. The bird was frequenting the small isolated Sycamores and Hawthorns in behind the Cafe. This is the first record of this species for county Galway. There are no records for neighbouring Mayo and Clare either, a very rare species away from Cork to Wexford stretch. I was only saying to Neal the previous day how hard it would be to pick a shrike or a Wryneck out here as every single field on the island has suitable stone walls with large areas of brambles, bracken, hawthorn bushes, etc. inside them. Had this bird been 200m away from our usual route it would most likely never been found.

Just after catching a young Lizard on the limestone pavement.

Making off with it's lizard. It would retreat right in the middle of bushes while eating prey.

 

With a Shield Bug this time.