The Riddle of the "Reeler"

Tuesday 16/4/13
Mild, clearing after light overnight rain, moderate SW
Compton Park/Barleyfield 

An early start!! Dawn. The Magpie roost is now barely in double figures. As I count to 10, I hear a very welcome sound. A Tawny Owl is softly hooting, apparently settling to roost in a mature ivy covered tree. I really felt that we would have lost these birds from our section of the reserve following the housing development that evicted them from their traditional roost near the old crop testing field.

I make my way up the Barleyfield as the light continues to improve: my aim? to sky-watch  I haven't done one on strong South-westerlies in Spring, so wasn't sure what to expect.As I made my way I could here the male Pheasant, calling from the wood at Compton Hill Drive. A Chiffchaff was singing on the Eastern Border and 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were calling  and chasing each other from behind me at Compton Park

I positioned myself about 20 yards into the field from the top of the Barleyfield near the Western Border, so that I could look South. Notebook at the ready and...............nothing!!!! From 06:00 to 06:20 nothing...at all. Dilemma! Do the rounds or stick to the Barleyfield? The Pheasant kept calling, so I decided to go and track it down on the off-chance that it may have a partner.

I passed Geoff's bench (Angus - your right, it needs listing or some plaque or something special). Then all of the sudden I could here "reeling". Grasshopper Warbler!!! - my first in the valley!!! Then came a big problem!!! I walked east to get a view over the scrub from where the noise was coming from. As I did the "reeling" stopped and I saw a bird with short round stubby wings fly into a dog rose bush about 3 parts of the way up in full view. It was odd that the bird had actually flown towards me. I was now within 15 yards. I lifted my bins and next came a moment when my head started wrapping itself up in knots!!! I was looking at what appeared to be a muddy Reed Warbler with a distinctive area of white on it's chin and throat REELING!!!!

Now came the idiot in me. I failed to think outside the box! I was just stood there with my bins on it as it uttered 10-15 second long unmistakable bursts of reeling. It felt simpler lower and harder, without the high elements of a "gropper", but what was hitting me was that the bird had no scaling on its dark back and had the complete "jizz" of a Reed Warbler with a pale bib.It was approaching 06:30 and the light from a breaking sun was good. This just didnt have a single look of a "gropper" about it at all.

What felt like a sweaty panic set in. Then came my next mistake. In stead of staying and trying to get a recording on my phone, I just knew that I had to get in touch with Geoff or Angus and their numbers were in my works phone which was on charge at home. I assumed that since the bird was singing it's heart out that I could quickly leave site and get the "heavies" in to unravel the mystery!!!

I sprinted home, which was less than five minutes away and got two sleepy birders out of bed and told them what I had seen. I grabbed my camera and bolted back to the top of the Barleyfield. Fantastic!! When I got there, within two minutes I could hear the reeling again, this time coming from the denser scrub near the garden fences, behind Geoff's bench. It done two sessions of song, and then at 07:15 fell silent and wasnt seen again.I felt such an idiot, having got two poor Guys out of bed that early, with nothing there at all to link onto when they arrive!!!

Not only did I feel stupid, I was half way to nowhere. No verification of a national rarity, and at the same time, my observations meant that no way could I just simply add it to my patch list as my first Grasshopper, even though it was clearly a member of the "Locustella" group of Warblers!!! Dohh

Despite a no show, Geoff had enough trust and friendship to come for an evening visit. I brought my son up for the first time and Ian turned up to join the party.

On the way up I had 2 Swallows and singing Willow Warbler and 3 more Swallows passed SW over the rise as we got to the top of the field.It was great to talk and share things, but there was no show at all from our mystery bird. A welcome Common Whitethroat, also made a brief showing (presumably Angus's from the morning).

Despite this further waste of time, my band of learned friends kept the faith and I felt so touched that these lads were giving so much time, when, knowing that I am just a local patch watcher, rather than a member of the 400 club, they could have just laughed at me shouted "stringer" and walked off site after throwing bricks at me!!! (incidentally, to any readers that don't know me, I hope the fact that I didnt post "Savi's" on bird guides, when I first had the bird, nor look to claim anything shows that I'm not in the habit of wasting birder's time and fuel, as they would have flocked from all over the place!!!)

Next morning I was at the top of the field at dawn. I felt a little confidence that the bird may be a creature of habit, even on passage and prefer to sing again in the morning. Most "Groppers" that have visited the valley over the years have tended to stick around for a bit. However 06:30 came and went and there was nothing, so I decided to explore the area to the East by the top of Compton Hill Wood as there was a small area of scrub there. As I got into the corner near the access path to Compton Hill Drive, my head scrambled again, but for a different reason. A bird was uttering a short rattling song from the tree tops among Ivy-covered trees adjacent to the road. My first reaction was Wood Warbler, but the song was nowhere near as long as it should be and didn't have the trilling bounciness either.

Now I was in a right dilemma!! I was aware that there were only about 10 valley records of Wood Warbler and two of those were mine. So here is the scenario.....grab my phone and then text Geoff!! He would have looked at the text after wasting two days of his time already and thought Yeahh Chris... your third valley Woody and you want me to come up there again!!!.

I moved round onto the road and had had brief views of a "leaf warbler" moving through the ivy as it sang. I was a coward and gingerly started preparing a text to Geoff - "are you near the Barleyfield?". Just as I was about to hit send, Geoff's car pulled up....thank God.

Then the bird shut up!!!! Someone up there was really having a laugh!!!! So then more discomfort....." morning Geoff....no sign of the reeler (you know, that one that I have made you get out of bed at dawn for two days running).....but I've had something else....a Wood Warbler.....only it doesnt sound like one....and it's stopped singing!!!!

I thought he was going to get in his car, run me over, reverse to make sure it was a good job and then drive off, throwing expletives out of the window!!!

Every cloud has a silver lining, and for me the lining was friendship. Geoff did'nt get a machete out and Angus  even kept the faith and arrived. I am so happy because these two quality Guy's were rewarded for their trust in me with only the valley's second singing Wood Warbler (Geoff confirmed it and noted that the truncated song can be heard from early arrivals at Wyre Forest).

I send out two messages:
The first is thanks, to Angus, Geoff and Ian, for holding confidence in me.
My second is to all birders that hear a "gropper" on passage.....don't dismiss it if you have an opportunity to get sight of it. My instincts and observations tell me that there may well still be a very special bird among them!!!!