Saturday 7 July 2012

Reed Warbler



I have been trying to get a photo of a Reed Warbler for a while now, but due the birds` skulking habits it has proven a little difficult. The digiscoped images above were managed by just waiting by a reedbed where I had heard a Reed Warbler singing and eventually the bird showed itself for a couple of minutes. There was a metal type of fence that the bird was perched behind, hence the blurry silver line over his feet, but beggars can`t be choosers!

The Reed Warbler is a common summer migrant to Britain, numbering between 40,000 and 80,000 pairs, although this number is lower than it was a few years ago. Drainage of reedbeds has had an effect on the bird, but they have started to colonise new habitats such as gravel pits which may help in the future.

A plain, unstreaked warbler that has brown upper-parts and a reddish brown rump. The underneath is buff, leading to white on the throat. A bird that you are more likely to hear before you see it, the `song` is a noisy, unmusical, repetitive chatter and churring with frequent changes in pitch that is very similar to the Sedge Warbler, although it is lower pitched and less varied than this bird. The nests of this bird are frequently parasitised by Cuckoos.

16 comments:

  1. Great captures of a lovely little bird John.. I am so lucky to live near the River Weaver in Cheshire... reed beds galore and loads of Sedge and Reed Warblers to see.

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    1. Thanks Andrew,
      You live in a lovely part of the world. We have good numbers of Reed and Sedge Warblers here too, although I think they have had a tough time of it this year with the high water levels wiping out a few nests.
      J

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  2. Great photos and info, John! I've heard these noisy little birds but not seen one clearly yet.

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    1. Thank you Omi,
      To see one clearly you have to be quite lucky, in the right place at the right time! They are very secretive little birds, preferring to stay in the reed-bed and out of sight, very annoying! ;)
      J

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  3. Amazing shots...I'm glad i found your log!

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    1. Thanks BlueShell, maybe you will come back again?!
      J

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  4. King of the digiscope!
    Cracking images John.

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    1. I don`t know about that Keith, but `Thank you`. :)
      J

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  5. Nice pictures John, all my shots ahve something blurring the image!

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    1. Thanks Mike, that isn`t true at all, not every picture! ;)
      J

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  6. These are just great pictures, I don't think I have seen one of these warblers before.

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    1. Thanks Gillian,
      A bird that is heard more often than seen and when it is seen it is pretty nondescript!
      J

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  7. You have taken some really good shots of this very difficult subject John.
    You can wait for hours sometimes and they never appear.

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    1. Hi Roy,
      Thank you. Many a time I have sat hearing these little birds `singing` away, just waiting for it to perch on top of a reed and do you think they ever do?!
      J

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  8. Well done John, your patience was rewarded, lovely photos! So much easier to hear than see ;-)

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    1. Thank you Jan,
      Patience is a virtue, so they say, although I don`t have an awful lot of it sometimes! :)
      As I have said, heard a lot more than seen.
      J

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