Date: Oct 2023 to Mar 2024, Nov to Dec 2024
Location: Bukit Gombak Park
Over the winter migration seasons of 2023 and 2024, I would frequent my “backyard” Bukit Gombak Park to photograph a lone wintering Brown Shrike.
I do not know if they are the same bird across both years. But I assumed they are since both were not skittish and allowed me to photograph them at a relatively close distance.
I managed to get many photographs of the bird during that time including a flight shot and pictures of it with various prey in mouth.
The most memorable encounter had to be the time I observed it pull an earthworm out of the ground before settling on it’s favorite perch to finish it’s meal. As a child, I’ve seen so many picture books of birds pulling worms out of the ground but witnessing it in real life is quite something.
Unfortunately, I have not seen the bird in recent years. It may be wintering elsewhere but it’s also possible that it may have perished. Winter migration is a perilous journey and birds die for various reasons from predation, exhaustion to window strikes.
Wherever you may be, I hope you are in a better place.
eBird checklist: Various (too many to put here)
The Salaryman Birder 
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