Red-backed Shrike - 1980 onwards

Lanius collurio - rare migrant, formerly bred

1981 - Skomer, 31 May, Imm, Skokholm, 5-12 Oct

1982 - 1, Skokholm, 26 May

1984 - 1, Skokholm, 14 Sept.

1985 - Singles,Skomer,17-20 May and 14 Oct; St Bride’s,26 May.

1987 - Singles Skokholm 5 & 6 June, Rosemarket 10 June, Skomer 22-27 Aug and Martin's Haven 21 Oct

1988 - Males Skokholm 17 & 19 May

1989 - Singles, Skokholm 23 May, Marloes 28 May, Stackpole Warren 25 & 27 July, Skomer 29 July and 6 Aug and Dale airfield on 3 Sep

1991 - One was at Skomer 18-29 Sept,

1992 - One Freshwater West on 27 Sept

1993 - One Skomer 18 Oct

1994 - Singles at Skomer 24, 27 and 31 May

1995 - One Skomer 23 May

1996 - Singles Skokholm 6 June and Skomer 17 Aug

1997 - Singles St Govan's Head 30 May; Skomer 5 June; Gann 28 Sep

1998 - Juv, Skomer 19 & 21 Sep (SS et al)

2000 - Juvs Skomer 8-10 Sept and 29-30 Sept (SA, JGB, MJP et al).

2002 - Female Skomer 27-29 May (SD).

2003 - Male Ramsey 30 May (SA).  In Autumn, juv’s Skomer 31 Aug (JGB) and Strumble Head 23 Sept (SEB).

2004 - Two records Skomer: a male North Valley 25 May, though sadly, it didn't wait to meet the female which frequented the same bush 6-8 June! (JGB et al)

2005 - Three records: Skomer: male 28 May (JGB), a Juv St Davids Airfield 15-27 Oct (JB et al) and an adult male Strumble Hd 18 Oct (SEB).

2006 - A female was on Skomer 6 Jun (JGB).

2009 - Two records this year, the first of a male on Ramsey on 24th May (L & GM) and an immature on Skomer on 20th - 21st Sept. Both accepted by WRP.

2010 - The only record was of a female at Carn ar Wig, St. David’s on 23rd May (JB). Accepted by WRP.

2011 - Female on Skomer on 16th - 18th Oct (DB, CT). Photo opposite D. Boyle. Accepted WRP.

2012 - A juv Wooltack Point /Martins Haven on 9th Sept (DJA, PKG). Accepted by WRP

2013 - Two accepted records, the first a female ringed on the Preseli Mountains on 2nd June (P. Jenks), the second an immature on Skokholm on 10th Sept (L. Robertson)

2014 - Single female on Skomer on 8th June (JWM) and a juv. at St. David’s Head on 30th Sept – 2nd Oct (J&MB et al). Both accepted WRP.

2016 - A female on Skokholm on 23rd May (RDB), a male Skomer 26th – 27th May (ES) and a juv Skokholm 23rd-24th Aug (JH, RGB). All accepted WRP. (the 27th and 28th Skokholm records)

2018 - Juveniles on Skomer 18th – 20th Sept (ES et al), St. David’s Head 9th Sept (JP) and at Dale Airfield 9th -14th Sept. (BS et al). All accepted by WRP

Records extracted from the Pembrokeshire Bird Reports.

Red-Backed Shrike - 1949 status

Lanius collurio collurio

Irregular visitor.  Methew records nests at Black Rock (annually) and at Tenby (21 June 1887).  Has bred Pembroke 1924, Angle 1908.  Also at Pembroke Dock (G.Haines), Orielton (C.W.Macworth-Praed) and in the north of the count (T.Ground B.Birds XVIII 232).  Recorded occasionally Skokholm.

R.M.Lockley, G.C.S.Ingram, H.M.Salmon, 1949, The Birds of Pembrokeshire, The West Wales Field Society

Red-backed Shrike - 1994

Scarce passage migrant; formerly bred

Red-backed Shrikes were recorded nesting by Mathew (1894), annually at Black Rock and at Tenby in 1887. Lockley et al. (1949) added further breeding records at Angle, Orielton, Pembroke, Pembroke Dock and in the north of the county, the last about 1924. There have been no breeding reports since.

Sharrock (1976) noted that a national decline had been in progress for over a hundred years, and there were just eight pairs left in Britain by 1990 (Spencer 1993). Nonetheless they are now near-annual passage migrants to Pembrokeshire, up to four being noted between 9 April and 3 July and 12 August and 21 October in 27 years between 1946 and 1992. Of these records, 80% have been since 1960, occurring twice as often in the autumn as in the spring. Most records are from Skokholm but they have also been seen on the islands of Grassholm, Skomer and South Bishop, and on the mainland at Dale Airfield, Llwyngwair, Marloes, Martin's Haven, Rosemarket, Freshwater West, Stackpole, St Bride's and St David's.

Donovan J.W. & Rees G.H (1994), Birds of Pembrokeshire

Red-backed Shrike - 1894

Species account from M Mathew, 1894, "The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands"

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