Turkestan Shrike

Would you believe this beautiful Shrike is sometimes called the Butcherbird. This is because they like to impale their prey on a sharp thorn and then tear it apart while eating it. No, not nice, but this one looks as though he has just eaten and had a thorough clean and brush up, so smart is his plumage. The extra is of David Coulthard the ex-British Formula 1 driver giving us all a fantastic display along the Corniche in Muscat this afternoon. This morning the weather was lovely, but by the time the Red Bull Racing car came out the weather was horrific and we thought David Coulthards display might be cancelled-but no, he put on an incredible display in storm conditions. Not only was the rain torrential but it was thundering and there was forked lightening. I was soaked to the skin, my camera was soaked as well but I still got some shots of him through the safety barrier netting. What a great day!