[dan pointon]

Yesterday when i was out birding i met another birder who had recently been up at Leighton Moss, sometime within the last week this is. He first told me he had seen lots of Marsh Tits, no surprise, but he then said he had seen a few Marsh Warblers. As far as i knew Marsh Warblers didn't inhabit Leighton Moss, and they're summer visitors, so i thought he had made a mistake in what he had told me. However when i said ' Marsh Warblers?!' just to clarify the point, he repeated himself in saying he had seen a few. Was he just mistaken in what he had said, or is there really Marsh Warblers at Leighton Moss??

Regards

Dan

[Stephen Dunstan]

If there are they are keeping the lid on them really well.

I doubt it.

I was at Martin Mere in December and a birder told the group I was leading he had just seen a Marsh Warbler - same bloke?

Stephen.

[dan pointon]

ye it could well be. i was really surprised when he said he'd seen a few, even one's a surprise! its unlikely i reckon. the RSPB would be doing amazingly to keep it hidden.

Dan

[Andrew Whitehouse]

I don't know though. Here's a picture of a Marsh Warbler at Leighton Moss that's just been posted to Surfbirds.

[StuartReeves]

Originally Posted by Andrew Whitehouse

I don't know though. Here's a picture of a Marsh Warbler at Leighton Moss that's just been posted to Surfbirds.

Yep and I reckon that picture would be appropriate for a Marsh Warbler "seen" anywhere in Britain in March or December.

[dan pointon]

yer you're probabaly right!

[Gill Osborne]

I've heard of Marsh HARRIERS at Leighton Moss but never warblers LOL
Wonder if it's the same guy who was adamant that i had only seen a Kestrel when i knew for a fact it was a Marsh Harrier!!! Spent all his time talking to Neil and ignoring me cos I was a GIRL!!!! Grrrrrr

GILL

[KPG]

Originally Posted by Gill Osborne

I've heard of Marsh HARRIERS at Leighton Moss but never warblers LOL
Wonder if it's the same guy who was adamant that i had only seen a Kestrel when i knew for a fact it was a Marsh Harrier!!! Spent all his time talking to Neil and ignoring me cos I was a GIRL!!!! Grrrrrr

GILL

That can be very irritating, same thing happened to me a year or two back when some dude insisted that the curlew sands I had pointed out were Dunlin, not one to assume I am right I re-checked and then got out a field guide and proceeded to point out to this birding wonder, the various salient points, including the fact that the two birds in question were obviously larger than the surrounding flock of Dunlin, but because some famous colleague of his "who writes for birdatching magazine!" had not seen tham, he still held that the birds were as he stated.
Anyone who sees more than one rare bird at a time (unless it's something like Yellow Browed warbler which are becoming increasingly common) has for a near certainty not seen a rare at all, and I would instantly doubt virtually all who casually idendify birds like Marsh Warblers, a genuine rare bird finder would be likely to seek out a second opinion from other skilled observers first before making such a claim.

The ball of string is inspired.

[fatboyfat]

Hi Dan.

Couldn't possibly be Marsh Warbler: they don't come in until early June!! Must have been Marsh Tit or Harrier he was on about. There are very few Marsh Warblers left in this country, but one or two stray birds do turn up around the country when they first come in: they always attract a big crowd too!
Hope this helps.

FBF

[Steven Astley]

Maybe he was trying to impress you. When he sees your not impressed with his marsh tit sightings he thinks right maybe marsh warbler will do the trick. Then when he gets your attention he starts milking it by saying he had seen a few. what you should have done is remained unimpressed maybe eventually you might have got him to say he had seen a colony of dodos.

[dan pointon]

LOL! Sounds about right to me. i thought it was a bit peculiar - Marsh Warblers in March, and at Leighton Moss, somewhere i go regularly. Does anyone know of any decent places where there is a REAL chance of seeing Marshies?

Thanks

Dan

[Gashead]

In the 80's there was a spot on the Avon (?) in Worcestershire.

[fatboyfat]

Very few colonies left in Britain. The best thing to do is wait for one of the vagrant males that turn up every year and go and see those. If anyone does know of any breeding sites, KEEP THEM QUIET!!!! Do not pass info like this on on a forum such as this. This species has been brought to the brink of extinction as a breeding bird in Britain because of loose talk between birders being picked up on by eggers (ie. the whole Kent population!!). This advice goes for any rare species: don't chatter in hides as eggers lurk in there too!!

FBF

[Ghostly Vision]

With you there FBF.

My advice too, Dan, is not to visit breeding sites - not that there are many left now.

The Worcs birds are long gone, as are some of the Kent pairs.

There is usually at least one or two a year that is twitchable, and it is usually a singing male, so that would be your best bet.

GV

[dan pointon]

At least i know the best way to see one now. Will have to make the effort this year as with the declining population i imagine Marshies will become harder and harder to see.

Thanks

Dan

[Stephen Dunstan]

I saw my first last October on Fair Isle, which was particularly nice because it was so unexpected. Walked up to another obs resident at Bulls Park and asked if there was anything in the crop, and he said Marsh Warbler. Mind you there was a first for the Western Palearctic in the same crop ten days later when I was on the train home, although I did get one WP first during my stay (and it still feels really strange typing that!).

Stephen.

[fr0sty]

In Light of this thread the link below should provide some useful reading
http://pub13.bravenet.com/forum/1065729998/show/413225

LOL

[Alan G]

Bit like that BBC nature programme about the New Forest that was on a few months back - a local naturalist pointed to this Reed Warbler and discussed it for a few seconds.

Thing is, it was a male Reed Bunting.

Oh dear, how embarrassing.



I guess we've all done something similar at one time or another (maybe not confusing reed bunting for reed warbler perhaps but calling something that isn't) but on national TV.........oh dear !!



Alan

[James Lowther]

Originally Posted by fr0sty

In Light of this thread the link below should provide some useful reading
http://pub13.bravenet.com/forum/1065729998/show/413225

LOL

Good to see an ID thread like that remain civilised and reach an amicable resolution i thought...

[Ruby]

Hi Guys,

Interesting that the eventual consensus seems to be that it couldn't have been a Marsh Warbler, based on the date being too early....

Last Spring I was out on an organised trip in South London, and a couple of the local experts scurried off to track down what they believed to a Marsh Wabler, based upon a call that they had heard.

They weren't able to find it, but seemed pretty convinced that is what it was.

Didn't hear it personally (not that I would have had much idea)...

The date was April 25th, 2004.....


Rgds... Ruby

[Stephen Dunstan]

Originally Posted by Ruby

Hi Guys,

Interesting that the eventual consensus seems to be that it couldn't have been a Marsh Warbler, based on the date being too early....

Last Spring I was out on an organised trip in South London, and a couple of the local experts scurried off to track down what they believed to a Marsh Wabler, based upon a call that they had heard.

They weren't able to find it, but seemed pretty convinced that is what it was.

Didn't hear it personally (not that I would have had much idea)...

The date was April 25th, 2004.....


Rgds... Ruby

Three weeks is a long time in migration. Compare a claim of a Wheatear in mid-February with one at the end of the first week of March.

Stephen.

[Ruby]

Originally Posted by Stephen Dunstan

Three weeks is a long time in migration. Compare a claim of a Wheatear in mid-February with one at the end of the first week of March.

Stephen.

Yeah, but did it not say that they were only seen after mid-May??

[Ruby]

Originally Posted by Ruby

Yeah, but did it not say that they were only seen after mid-May??

"This would be an exceptionally early date for a Marsh Warbler. It is a long distance migrant wintering in south-east Africa, and western European birds are not usually on their breeding grounds much before the third week in May. I know that when they used to breed regularly in the Avon valley in the south Midlands, they were rarely in song before the first week in June."