I thought it was about time to add another great bird to my slowly increasing life list.  The Brown Shrike had been very showy down near Heathrow for some time now.  I had a lot of work to do today but I decided to have an early start and get there, see the bird then head back unless something else en-route turns up.  On the way down and way back I saw several Red Kites, my first for the year.  I got on site, made the treck up a very muddy footpath, over the boardwalk and a few birders were already there watching the bird.  I set the scope up and the cracking BROWN SHRIKE was in a nearby bush.  It was skulking around the bottom of the bush before showing on a branch were a got a few photos.  It then flew into another bush before being flushed by some dog walkers.  It flew over the back of this site and was just visible.  I hung around but it never came back close.  It was a great bird and very special for me as it was my 300th bird ever.  I have never done birding abroad except on the Bay of Biscay when we did four hours near Santiurzi before getting back on the ship, hence my UK list being 8 behind my all time list.  Whilst there I also noted Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Wren, Chaffinch, Wood Pigeon, Dunnock, Robin, Black-headed Gull, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Moorhen, Ring-necked Parakeets which I enjoyed watching them whizz around the site but they could become annoying day in and day out, Skylark, Kingfisher, Green Woodpecker, Grey Heron, Starling, Magpie, Greenfinch, Blue Tit, Fieldfare, Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Jay.