Cliffe - Isabelline Shrike

I’ve never seen a male anywhere, let alone the UK. A great looking bird that performed well.

Just The Cricket

I recently attended a wildlife study day about crickets and grasshoppers which I must say was superb. It was a KWT event and only cost £25. I’ve now found another use for my bat detector and next year I want to try and see a local great green bush cricket. The photo of the one below I took in Cornwall in September and was the first one I’ve ever seen. They seem to start stridulating in the late afternoon and then carry on well into the night when this male was photographed. A brilliant insect, got to be up there as one of the best insects in the UK.

Great Green Bush Cricket

Oak Bush Cricket. A predominantly arboreal species which is under-recorded. This female was a surprise to see in my back garden literally the day after I had been on the study day and it was in a hazel rather than oak tree.

Speckled Bush-Cricket. This is the one you are most likely to get inside your house. This male is good and spotty or should that be speckly.