monkeyman
Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.
In Saturday's Times, Derwent May wrote his Feather Report on this elusive warbler. He finished off the article with "It is well worth keeping an ear open for them this weekend. I hesitate to say an eye: that might only give you pain."
Well, yesterday my new chum Reader took me to Upton Warren in Worcestershire. I had never heard a Cetti's before, never mind seen one, and I wasn't hopeful either, after reading about them on Saturday. But what the heck!
Five minutes before Reader arrived, two avocets had been reported at Upton. Great, at least I'll get one lifer!
So off we jolly well went under a steadily brightening sky. If nothing else, it promised to be a nice day out!
On arriving we headed to the hide on the flashes. There they were, obviously a pair and looked like they were settling in nicely. There were redshank, lapwing and Little ringed plovers, too. Things were looking good! We stopped off at the garden hide and watched the bullfinches, tits, greenfinches and tree sparrows at the feeders. A magnificent cock pheasant came strutting out of the bushees and looked absolutely brilliant in his mating plumage.
We then headed off to the Moors pools. Reader guaranteed me hearing Cetti's here and within two minutes of us arriving at the car park, one "exploded" in the osiers close by. A truly amazing song! We wandered round to the south hide picking up a buzzard and aflock of Lesser redpoll on the way. The hide afforded some really good views of Gadwall and Shoveller and a Common sanpiper on a little gravel island right in front of us. There were a few Cormorant and Redshank, the obligatory Coots and Canada Geese and plenty of Great crested Grebes and a few Dabchick. We then decided to go to the hide on the north shore and on the way got our first Swallows of the year. By the car park a couple of chaps were looking into the reed beds and as we grew close, we knew why. The first Sedge warbler could be heard rattling away!
We got to the hide and spent a good half hour watching the tree sparrows and finches, dunnocks, robins and wrens and jumping up every time a Cetti's called. But could we see it? Then one called to our left. I trained my bins on a bush where I could see "something", but it was "only" a tree sparrow . . . then a non-descript brown bird, much like a large wren, popped up in my view and with an explosive call flew off to the right. Just then Reader called it! My first Cetti's!
We moved to the smaller hide a few yards away and we could hear two or three Cetti's, but no sign of them. Then a movement to the right caught my attention and the Cetti's flew out across the open ground into the reedbed! Two sightings! I thought you weren' supposed to see these elusive creatures?
Satisfied at a good day's birding, we headed back to the car. We heard the Sedge again and stopped to see if we could get it. I dipped but it showed briefly for Reader. As I moved around to where he was standing I noticed two birds flitting through the reeds towards us. One flew into a bush right in front of us, and, yes, you've guessed it . . . another Cetti's.
I guess this is my lucky year; that was the sixth lifer this year.
Well, yesterday my new chum Reader took me to Upton Warren in Worcestershire. I had never heard a Cetti's before, never mind seen one, and I wasn't hopeful either, after reading about them on Saturday. But what the heck!
Five minutes before Reader arrived, two avocets had been reported at Upton. Great, at least I'll get one lifer!
So off we jolly well went under a steadily brightening sky. If nothing else, it promised to be a nice day out!
On arriving we headed to the hide on the flashes. There they were, obviously a pair and looked like they were settling in nicely. There were redshank, lapwing and Little ringed plovers, too. Things were looking good! We stopped off at the garden hide and watched the bullfinches, tits, greenfinches and tree sparrows at the feeders. A magnificent cock pheasant came strutting out of the bushees and looked absolutely brilliant in his mating plumage.
We then headed off to the Moors pools. Reader guaranteed me hearing Cetti's here and within two minutes of us arriving at the car park, one "exploded" in the osiers close by. A truly amazing song! We wandered round to the south hide picking up a buzzard and aflock of Lesser redpoll on the way. The hide afforded some really good views of Gadwall and Shoveller and a Common sanpiper on a little gravel island right in front of us. There were a few Cormorant and Redshank, the obligatory Coots and Canada Geese and plenty of Great crested Grebes and a few Dabchick. We then decided to go to the hide on the north shore and on the way got our first Swallows of the year. By the car park a couple of chaps were looking into the reed beds and as we grew close, we knew why. The first Sedge warbler could be heard rattling away!
We got to the hide and spent a good half hour watching the tree sparrows and finches, dunnocks, robins and wrens and jumping up every time a Cetti's called. But could we see it? Then one called to our left. I trained my bins on a bush where I could see "something", but it was "only" a tree sparrow . . . then a non-descript brown bird, much like a large wren, popped up in my view and with an explosive call flew off to the right. Just then Reader called it! My first Cetti's!
We moved to the smaller hide a few yards away and we could hear two or three Cetti's, but no sign of them. Then a movement to the right caught my attention and the Cetti's flew out across the open ground into the reedbed! Two sightings! I thought you weren' supposed to see these elusive creatures?
Satisfied at a good day's birding, we headed back to the car. We heard the Sedge again and stopped to see if we could get it. I dipped but it showed briefly for Reader. As I moved around to where he was standing I noticed two birds flitting through the reeds towards us. One flew into a bush right in front of us, and, yes, you've guessed it . . . another Cetti's.
I guess this is my lucky year; that was the sixth lifer this year.
