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Warblers
A group, rather than a family, of similar, small song birds. Usually fairly plain but well known for their song. Mostly summer migrants but a few over-winter with us. Often a challenge to photograph due to their size, fast movement and the fact that trees and shubs are usually in full leaf when most are around.
Blackcap - A few overwinter these days and can come into the garden, but it is still primarily a Summer migrant. The female actually has a brown cap. They have a beautiful song, possibly my favourite of all. A tree warbler.
Female
Cetti's Warbler - This bird is a real challenge to photograph. Despite being present at many wetland sites in England. They are notoriously difficult to see. They have a loud, machine gun like song that you cannot miss nor mistake. However to get a good look at them you need to be patient and persistent. They seem to be a winner with global warming, as far as the UK goes. They are year round residents and getting more common.
Chiff-chaff - There's no easier song to learn than this bird's. The male almost constantly calls chiff-chaff, chiff-chaff. A very numerous Summer migrant which spends most of its time in trees but nests on the ground. They can easily be mistaken for the very similar Willow Warbler, until you hear the song. This is where you need to know the song to be able to confidently ID them.
Dartford Warbler - These colourful little residents cling on in a few of our warmer heathland areas, amongst gorse shrubs which offer shelter and protection. It remains to be seen how many will make it through the harsh Feb/March this year. The photos here were taken at Upton Heath in Dorset.
Garden Warbler - The Garden Warbler is well known for being the Plain Jane of the songbird world. This poor bird is plain greyish brown and has no patterning or distinguishing features whatsoever. It is instantly recognisable purely because of its plainness. It's just as important as the rest though and does have a rich and interesting song.
Goldcrest - A gorgeous little bird. In fact our very smallest bird. They are reasonably common and prefer coniferous woodlands. With the exception of the much rarer and closely related Firecrest, they are easily distinguishable from any other birds, with their obvious gold crests. They occasionally puff this up when they are in breeding mode. We occasionally get the odd one in the garden during Autumn/Winter. They are not spooked by humans, as long as you approach sensitively. They are a challenge to photo though, as being so small they have to constantly and hurriedly search for food.
Lesser Whitethroat - Smaller, neater and generally greyer than the Whitethroat. It is also less common and usually gives the impression of having a darker grey mask over the eye area, though these photos don't show it well. Very easy to miss unless you catch it singing or making a stone clashing like call (similar to Garden Warbler and Blackcap). It tends to skulk in shrubs, bushes and hedgerows. I've found some birds to be completely at ease by my close presence.
Reed Warbler - A common Summer migrant which, as it says on the tin, inhabits almost exclusively reedbeds. Both it and the Sedge Warbler are our common reed inhabitants. Both have a similar, rather manic song but the Sedge has a prominent pale stripe above the eye which makes it easy to tell apart.
Sedge Warbler - Our other common reedbed species. However this bird is slightly more versatile in habitat terms and can be seen on top of bushes or hedgerows nearby. This bird has the most loud and manic song of just about all our songbirds. It is very varied, belted out with great rapidity and ranges massively in tone and pitch.
Whitethroat - A fairly widespread warbler of scrub habitat. With their distinctive white throat there's only really the Lesser Whitethroat you could mistake them for, and the latter don't have the reddish brown colouration on the wings or the pinkish legs. They have a rushed, scratchy song and often look an untidy bird. Much more obvious than Lesser Whitethroat.
Willow Warbler - Not as widespread as they were but they still come here in big numbers in early Spring. An attractive and widespread little bird with a very pleasant, quick, flutey song. They closely resemble Chiff-chaffs in appearance, but not song.
Wood Warbler - A beautiful Summer migrant with a unique song. They're similar in size and looks to Willow Warbler but with much more lemon colouration. Their song sounds a bit like a spinning coin and is unmistakable. They're becoming scarcer but make for our ancient woodlands, in the company of Redstart and Pied Flycatcher.
SWT Cotton Dell - May
RSPB Ynys-hir - May
Yet to capture: Aquatic Warbler; Barred Warbler; Firecrest; Grasshopper Warbler; Icterine Warbler; Marsh Warbler; Savi's Warbler
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