Great Grey Shrike - Signs of spring

I've had an affinity with birds for as long as I can remember.In fact Birds and Fishing are the main reasons why I have traveled so extensively over the last 15yrs. Our Garden is full of bird feeders for wintering birds and bird boxes hang from nearly every tree. There hasn't a day gone by where at some stage during that day I've been found to have a pair of binoculars in my hands. In the last week or so I have been a little more active checking for the first tell tale signs that spring is on its way in the form of maybe a Blackbird or Fieldfare but it was a Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor) that landed on a bush this morning outside our kitchen window that has given me renewed hope that winter has turned a corner and soon I will be able to chuck some fluff again.