Not often I get the chance to see a real quality bird without considerable travel so seeing a red-backed shrike in the NW highlands is a real bonus! The bird showed well (although was always a little distant) and put on a show of doing what shrikes do- sitting on a perch, dropping down to predate a beetle or grub, then returning to its' vantage point to eat its prey. A real treat for me as although I have seen a couple of 1st winter/female types in Scotland over the past few years this is my first adult male since seeing a Breckland bird in the early 80's!
