Warblers

[Lincs Yellowbelly]

Seems like spring has finally hit up here saw my first Blackcaps of the year, as well as plenty of Chiff chaff, willow warblers and a whitethroat seen yesterday about time too

[pheonix]

some reports of grasshopper warblers coming in, have now seen blackcap, chiffchaff, cettis, and willow

[Mark43]

Saw my first ever Blackcap this morning and spent 45 minutes tracking down a Cetti's.
Jeez the Cetti's are hard to see but when you hear that call they are pretty recognisable.

Used all my skills and fieldcraft to find it............well ok then i sat on the bench where i heard it call and waited ............knew it couldn't hide forever.

Only got a quick view as it appeared at the waters edge then flew into some reeds nearby but it was great..............i remember reading about these when i first started bird watching and thinking to myself that i would never see one.

ps Jonny it was at Warnham.......have you seen it yet?

[rlchew]

I visited my local patch (Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea) this morning in search of summer visitors .... in addition to the flocks of screaming kids and barking dogs!

Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Common Whitethroat were all showing and singing well. There was also an extremely vocal and persistent Reed Warbler in the reedbeds which refused to show itself! No sight or sound yet of Willow Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat or Sedge Warbler.

Originally Posted by Mark43

Jeez the Cetti's are hard to see but when you hear that call they are pretty recognisable. .... Used all my skills and fieldcraft to find it ....

I had my best views ever today of Cettis Warbler perching out in the open but still not enough time to get a photo. These birds are an enigma .... one of the most explosive and loudest songs you will hear in the UK but extremely difficult to see .... even with skill and fieldcraft! Cettis Warblers are resident at Wat Tyler Country Park but easier to locate in spring and summer.

Richard

[Jonny]

Originally Posted by Mark43

Saw my first ever Blackcap this morning and spent 45 minutes tracking down a Cetti's.
Jeez the Cetti's are hard to see but when you hear that call they are pretty recognisable.

Used all my skills and fieldcraft to find it............well ok then i sat on the bench where i heard it call and waited ............knew it couldn't hide forever.

Only got a quick view as it appeared at the waters edge then flew into some reeds nearby but it was great..............i remember reading about these when i first started bird watching and thinking to myself that i would never see one.

ps Jonny it was at Warnham.......have you seen it yet?

There are at least 2 at warnham, I have not seen them yet, though I have heard one a couple of weeks back. I do think you are wrong when you say they can't hide forever, I am sure they can. My aim is to get a decent photo of one, I do have a shot of one but it is the back of it. Well done on seeing one, and a blackcap, there are quite a few of them at warnham now, I always hear them before I see them.........................Jon

[Turtletagger]

You all mention the Blackcap as a visitor. I have had a two paires of Blackcaps visiting my feeding station all through the winter and have only now in the past week dissappeared. I read somewhere that my birds come from Germany and the ones arriving now are from Africa. Am I right about this.

[Alan]

Originally Posted by Turtletagger

You all mention the Blackcap as a visitor. I have had a two paires of Blackcaps visiting my feeding station all through the winter and have only now in the past week dissappeared. I read somewhere that my birds come from Germany and the ones arriving now are from Africa. Am I right about this.

Yes your right Tanny, but because of global warming, or so they say, we do have many that stay on all year round.