Picked up Bazzo after a Tropical-style approach to birding this morning - namely don't venture out 'til the sun is over the yardarm - and we had a quick look at Marshside.
Female Hen Harrier was hunting over the saltmarsh, showing quite well from the top of Mount Baker.
About 800 Pink Feet were out in the vegetation too.
A Greenshank called from out on the estuary.
In the southern stretch of the Forest Of Bale, a warbler which showed frutstartingly briefly may well have been a Lesser Whitethroat - later on the WeBs count, Bazzo had one and two Chiffchaffs down at Wheatear Corner.
A Comma was flitting around the Forest of Bale and one or two Migrant Hawkers were still zooming about.
A few Ruff on Marshside Two with Golden Plover and Lapwing.
The Glossy Ibis was about, but lurking out of sight when I was there, so I left Bazzo to his counting and headed over to Martin Mere for the birdfair.
It was fairly quiet, but I just about resisted temptation, meeting up with Neill and Tropical.
After a bit of browsing we headed down to the Ronnie Barker hide where we got VERY distant views of the Great Grey Shrike.
Great Grey Dot more like - you can just see it as a whitish blob on one of the right hand trees in this shot (if you squint really hard).
Checked on an optical stand to see if they had anything by NASA, but they didn't, so the shrike had to remain distant.
I suppose you could dress up as a Highland Cow and get quite close, bu that may be taking things too far.
Six Swallows went through south and there were at least 70 Whoopers in with the Pink Feet.
Called back into Marshside on the way home, after Bazzo had found an eclipse drake Green Winged Teal on the Junction Pool.
Unfortunately all the teal were asleep in the grass, so there was no sign when I got there.
This young Grey Heron looked like it was about to throw up someone's prized Koi Carp though.
Graham Clarkson found a hybridy Wigeon thing on his WeBs count and I think Neill got a few shots of it, but I headed for home after being shunned by the GW Teal.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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A closer look at your photo suggests a lack of white above the dark mask.
Could there be a possibility that you photographed a Lesser Grey Shrike, also a very shy bird when I have twitched it.
Blimey, you're right - I'll submit the pic to the BBRC straightaway - what could possibly go wrong?
(wardens on the reserve have apparently got closer than intercontinental range to this bird, so don't worry, it is a Great Grey).
Re my sighting of the possible Gyr last Friday morning - here's a few details.
I've been getting Peregrines in the field, not far from Moss Bridge One, on Downholland Moss and on Firday I noticed a big falcon in the field.
It was huge - very pale grey, no dark moustachial stripes, grey nape, grey wings (which were plain grey in flight), big fluffy white breast and a white stripe back from the eye.
It had bushy trousers.
When it took off, it had slow, deep wingbeats and no jesses that I could see.
I've seen white phase Gyrs before and grey phase in arctic Norway.
The bird didn't show any traces of feathering that didn't look right for Gyr.
Certainly one to keep an eye open for...