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ID Help on Blyth's Reed Warbler (1 Viewer)

Zac Hinchcliffe

Time spent wishing is time wasted!
Hi Everyone

im off to Spurn Head tomorrow and a blyth's Reed Warbler has turned up today, which I hope to see tomorrow!
I have never seen a Blyth's. Can anyone give me any field Identification feature that would help me distinguish this from say a marsh or reed warbler.

thanks

Zac
 
Straight out of Collins:

Told by - song, habitat (bush or lower tree not reeds or herbage), somewhat more obvious and larger pale supercilium, extends just beyond eye, rather short primary projection, legs rather dark brown-grey, long bill and flat forehead as Reed Warbler, greyish-brown upperparts and flanks more olive grey than buff.
 
Assuming it's still around, another good clue will be the crowd of birders looking at it!

John

Well Obviously lol!
I meant like if it went missing for a while and I happened to relocate it on the point whilst looking for the sibe Stonechat!

can anyone give me a link to their call? i can't find one anywhere!

Zac
 
Oh right, so is the call the same to other unstreaked reed warblers because my field guides describe them to be repetitive ticking?
and is the plumage closer to Marsh than reed?
 
Would it help distinguish it from any of the alternatives? I think that's what Zac was asking?

Yes, there is a difference, but probably only to the experienced ear. From my notes of one at Flamborough in 1997, I noted that the Blyth's had an almost Sylvia warbler quality to its call. The best identification features are the short bunched primaries, over-all jizz, distinctive head shape, and plumage tones. There are differences in the formula of emmarginations on the wing, but unless given excellent views, this will be of little help.
 
"Best" field features are:

- relatively short wings and short primary projection (maybe the easiest field id character)
- rather uniformly coloured, cold greyish brown upperparts
- hardly any contrast between the primary tips and tail-feathers
- alula does not contrast with wing feathers almost at all.
- rather long billed
- uniform greyish white underparts
- longest tertial does not go beyond the secondaries

You can't differ species from the other related birds with the help of call. So similar are those calls in these species.
 
im off to Spurn Head tomorrow and a blyth's Reed Warbler has turned up today, which I hope to see tomorrow!
I have never seen a Blyth's. Can anyone give me any field Identification feature that would help me distinguish this from say a marsh or reed warbler.

Zac,

Have a read of this...

http://www.freewebs.com/punkbirder/acroholics.htm

We found a possible at Flamborough in brambles near the lighthouse on Thurs after the Brown Fly, but it went dark, never to be seen again. Now guess what gets found in the Bay Brambles at Flamborough by the lighthouse today...

BobTag
 
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