BillHoneywell
New member
Yesterday afternoon - Monday 3 April - I was with my wife and another friend on the south-west side of S'Albufereta, walking from the minor road down various tracks towards the reeds and water, virtually opposite the Club Pollentia hotel. We came to the end of a track near a small building with a couple of mules or donkeys in the field, and stopped to watch a Purple Heron flying by. Our attention was drawn to a shrike which had just landed on the fence nearby. The bird was about the same size as a Woodchat Shrike but its upperparts were about the same shade of grey as a Great Grey. It had a black stripe through its eye which narrowed in front of the eye so that when it looked straight at you the two sides met at a point. There was very little black in the wing - much less than either Great Grey or Lesser Grey - with a small white patch halfway along the edge of the wing. The breast and flanks were white, with a faint pale rosy-cream tinge. The bill seemed quite small and black. Legs were black. But the most striking thing about this bird was the fact that it had a pale russet-coloured tail, seen very clearly on the two occasions when it flew down on to the ground. I was able to watch the bird carefully for about 3 - 5 minutes, after which two Black Vultures flew high overhead: the shrike flew to the ground about 5 metres away and then flew off. I have seen Great Grey, Woodchat, Red-backed and Masked Shrikes and it was clear that this bird was a different species. Neither could it be Lesser Grey. I had to consult my field guide when I got back (Collins, Mullarney, Svenson etc) and could not find the bird in there: the Isabelline had the right tail colour and pattern of dark / light on the wing, but was much too sandy-coloured. I then looked on the internet and found that Turkestan Shrike (Lanius phoenicuroides) is an absolute dead ringer for this bird, but am still somewhat in shock at what I've seen. Has anyone else seen this bird at S'Albufereta or nearby? Can anyone advise what I should do next?