I zoomed out of school at 15:05 and got the 15:27 train to Clapham Junction, then getting the 16:08 from here to Ashford, 'Surrey'. Here I phoned a cab up and they picked me up promptly; dropping me at Hithermoor Road, Stanwell Moor for a relatively cheap £8. From here I walked down the concrete path by KGVI, passed through the metal kissing gate, over the boardwalk, a little bit further after that and then connected with the *BROWN SHRIKE*, this is a MEGA bird for Britain, but especially so for London! What a bird to have on your London list eh!?
I enjoyed good views on and off for a little while, around 17:00 until it seemed to go to roost. I waited for Phil Wallace to arrive to try to help him but I wasn't expecting him to get it. We tried another angle, here we saw that some other birders were on something, almost certainly the Shrike. Over we went. Oh no it had just flown into a bush. Phil ducked down to get his camera ready. It flew past with perfect timing deep into another bush. An angry Phil got his scope onto the bush and spotted it slowly emerging at the right hand side of the bush, I called it out and most people got onto it. It flew again to another bush where it gave better, more prolonged views and everybody present connected before it flew to another bush presumably never to again be seen, for that day at least.
Also seen: c.80 Wigeon, 1 Snipe, 1 Kestrel, several Meadow Pipits and a possible Rock Pipit overhead, calling.
