Brown Shrike and more Brent Geese ... it's Holy Island ...

 Returning from Norfolk on the 16th I was keen to connect with two very desirable Sibes that had already been in the northeast of England for a few days ... the Taiga Flycatcher at South Shields was easy to take in on the way north but the tides were wrong for getting to Holy Island that day ... so an early start the following day saw me on the island at first light having crossed the causeway a good half hour before safe crossing time ...

I had been one of a large crowd at Flamborough twelve years ago who had arrived a day too late for the Brown Shrike ... since then events conspired against my seeing another ...

By the time the daylight had become reasonable the shrike was picked up as it perched intermittently on thistles between spells on the ground out of sight ... and then it lingered on a fence to give nice scope views ...

A Red-flanked Bluetail was very obliging as it flitted around the sycamores in the village - how different from searching for one in the dense vegetation of Holkham Pines !

Apart from the rare migrants it was good to see the common winter visitors, particularly the Pale-bellied Brent Geese after the recent Norfolk Brentfest ...

... and good to notice plenty of first-winter birds among these ...

A group of three Slavonian Grebes was a particular treat just off the northeast of the island in some calm water ...