Sunday 20 April 2014

Willow Warblers

It is that time of year when birders suffer pre migration tension. One does wonder though with the plethora of blogs and information services all reporting sightings whether our expectations are too high. Geoff has been connecting with a singing willow warbler in the top corner of the barleyfield for most of the last week  but that seems to be the only report since the early sighting last month.
However if I reflect on it maybe there is just too much disturbance in the valley. at the risk of being anthropomorphic I wonder if  passing birds are put off by all the building work, maybe the site just looks different and they do not feel safe. Also of course there are a lot of people using the area.  Then again if I look at my own Willow Warbler records this year I did not hear a singing bird until this week just gone. On Monday 5/6 birds on Cannock chase, but all but 1 was in the same small plantation, and 7/8 on cuckoo bank on Wednesday where also had two cuckoos!.  Otherwise it has been perhaps half a dozen on Isle of Wight at start of April , 3 at pool hall yesterday and singles elsewhere.  The early bird I saw in the valley reminded me of a fall of Willows in early April on the Pembrokeshire coast a few years ago. The only other species involved were wheatears and there were about 70 of each.  Whereas the wheatears showed little variation other than gender the willows amazed me with their plumage variation.  Some birds were almost clourless in terms of green/yellow being a washed out fawny colour as was the bird I saw in the valley on 17 march.
Otherwise only catch up reports for 2nd week april were Kingfisher on smestow in paddocks and female grey wagtail at wightwick mill lock.

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