Leaf Warblers and sticks
So this is not the Gull post I promised, instead its a twitching tale.
Norfolk has had rather a HOT last few days, some of the rare birds that have crash landed here include Lanceolated Warbler, Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler and Arctic Warbler, with niceties such as Red-necked Phalarope and Yellow-browed Warbler joining in the fun.
Having only had average views of Arctic Warbler in the past I decided to give it a go with a visit to Wells woods. Upon arrival at just after 5pm with Emma we found a few birders walking around like lost souls, the bird hadn't been seen for over 1 hour!
Extensive searching did not give it up, although a very brief Pied Flycatcher was a nice bird to come across. Finally we decided to give the trees where it had spent most of the day one final look.
We were alerted to its presence by birders staring at an acute angle into the tree tops, and there it was! The pink legs, cold appearance, strong supercilium (eye stripe) and faint wing bar were all very noticeable. As was its behaviour as it would pause for a few seconds, almost motionless, before continuing to feed relentlessly in the tree tops. As time passed this little warbler did give itself up some more and came down to near eye height, affording fantastic views despite its diminutive form. That being said it remained almost constantly in the shadows, making getting good photos a real challenge.
You can see my best efforts below.
Norfolk has had rather a HOT last few days, some of the rare birds that have crash landed here include Lanceolated Warbler, Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler and Arctic Warbler, with niceties such as Red-necked Phalarope and Yellow-browed Warbler joining in the fun.
Having only had average views of Arctic Warbler in the past I decided to give it a go with a visit to Wells woods. Upon arrival at just after 5pm with Emma we found a few birders walking around like lost souls, the bird hadn't been seen for over 1 hour!
Extensive searching did not give it up, although a very brief Pied Flycatcher was a nice bird to come across. Finally we decided to give the trees where it had spent most of the day one final look.
 |
| Breeding (Yellow) and Wintering (Blue) ranges of Arctic Warbler |
We were alerted to its presence by birders staring at an acute angle into the tree tops, and there it was! The pink legs, cold appearance, strong supercilium (eye stripe) and faint wing bar were all very noticeable. As was its behaviour as it would pause for a few seconds, almost motionless, before continuing to feed relentlessly in the tree tops. As time passed this little warbler did give itself up some more and came down to near eye height, affording fantastic views despite its diminutive form. That being said it remained almost constantly in the shadows, making getting good photos a real challenge.
You can see my best efforts below.
Comments
Post a Comment