Woodchat Shrike, Whinchats , Wheatears and Redstarts at Chipping Sodbury common!

Every birder has a 'bogey bird'. That bird that always eludes you! No matter how many times you go looking for it, or walk through it's ideal habitat!
Mine is the Whinchat.
Actually that should be WAS the Whinchat! ;)

Finding myself at the charming Chipping Sodbury common in South Gloucestershire for the first time in search of a very rare Woodchat Shrike, all the Whinchats that had given me the slip my whole life turned up 'en masse' in the bushes dotted around the common!

The Juvenile Woodchat Shrike was my first in this country too (My previous one was seen during a teen holiday in Corfu many years ago, a handsome male in a Lemon grove!)

 There were other birders about, but it wasn't as packed as I expected it to be. Very nice meeting Thomas Winstone, Martyn from South Glos birds and a keen birder from Clevedon who I didn't catch the name of, but was most helpful with his scope! :)

Chipping Sodbury common was an absolute delight! I didn't move further than 100 yards my whole time there, but saw the Shrike, countless Whinchats, male Redstarts, Wheatears, Whitethroats, Skylarks, Goldfinches, Stonechats and Wrens.... there was a great bird in every bush, or so it seemed!

Below are photo's from my visit;

^Above^ - The star of the show.... the Woodchat Shrike!

  

^Above^ - My bogey bird is no longer.....plenty of Whinchats! :D

^Above^ - Wheatears.

^Above^ - Male Redstart.

^Above^ - Redstart AND Whinchat! In one (quite distant!) shot! Incredible!

^Above^ - Female Stonechat.

^Above^ - Very distant Whinchat and the Woodchat Shrike!

^Above^ - Whitethroat.

^Above^ - Quite distant Whitethroat and the Woodchat Shrike.

^Above^ - Small flock of Goldfinches.

^Above^ - Male Pheasant on the outskirts of the common.