Any thoughts on this warbler? (1 Viewer)

[KenM]

Taken at Beachy Head on Tuesday am, unfortunately bird not seen well, just these two shots of it peeping out of the bush.
At the time, lots of Common Whitethroats, Willow Warbler with the odd Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat feeding off the elder and bramble.
To my eye, it looks like a cross between an Acro/Phyllosc, what strikes me as odd, is the thin “after” eye stripe on both sides of the head. Am still away hence the BOC shots.

Cheers

 

[maplekong]

This is one strange bird, is there any chance the thin stripe is lighting or something else?

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello Ken,

its a Marsh/Reed Warbler for me. The only caveat is that your bird seems to have shortish undertail-coverts (?)

For more, I wait for the original pictures (no offence you know), but when reading your description (from the field?) of an Acro/Phyllosc a Marsh Warbler came into my mind, and the appearant bill-shape and colour of feet and claws might well support this

But you know, that colouration can only be judged with the originals. This doesnt mean that I can identify it with confidence with them.

And when you are still there, maybe the bird is still there too (if not, then surely other birds I am confident).

No offence you know: your camera can burst series of 24 pictures/second. Please turn this feature on. This might well make the difference between a possible good bird that has gone (you surely know that: whats hit is history, whats missed is mystery) and a confident record of a Marsh Warbler (or something else, even a rarer one).

You are being redirected... Thanks for this excellent article Brian!

I eagerly wait to see the originals (german proverb: Vorfreude ist die schönste Freude!)

 

[Woburn17]

This looks like a Chiffchaff to me, almost identical to the Willow Warbler but eye stripe less pronounced, the song would confirm it.

 

[Richard Dale]

It is an Acrocephelus, though on the shorter-billed side, presumably reed but potentially marsh - not a chiffchaff because of the lack of a dark loral line, etc. I'm not sure we can see enough of the undertail to be confident about the extent of the undertail coverts, shaded and foreshortened as they are.

The dark line behind the eye is a little odd but this sort of thing can appear on otherwise plain-faced birds, particularly when viewed in strong sunlight, depending on combinations of light and feather position - a quick trawl on Google produced the following:

BBC Radio 4 - Tweet of the Day, Tweet of the Day - British Birds: June - Marsh warbler

See the birds featured in the series in June 2013. All images are provided by the RSPB.

www.bbc.co.uk

Marsh Warbler | Swiss Ornithological Institute

Status (in CH): regular breeder, regular migrant - Wing span: 18-21 cm - Weight: 11-15 g - Group: Warblers and allies

www.vogelwarte.ch

Reed Warbler

Photos and ID information for Reed Warbler

www.animal.photos

 

[wheatearlp]

A less-harsh crop may help.

 

[Andy Adcock]

This is one strange bird, is there any chance the thin stripe is lighting or something else?

Every chance with yet another BoC shot.

 

[Bismarck Honeyeater]

This is one strange bird, is there any chance the thin stripe is lighting or something else?

It’s a crease in the feathers, you see it on many species, depending on the angle of view, light and the stance of the bird. It’s not a plumage feature.

 

[KenM]

It’s a crease in the feathers, you see it on many species, depending on the angle of view, light and the stance of the bird. It’s not a plumage feature.

Here are the originals fwiw, regarding the feather creases that you refer to (and I’ve only just noted this in Collins).
It appears to be an illustrated feature for Booted Warbler (not saying it is one) just remarking, also the UTC’s appear shorter rather than longer….

 

[Bismarck Honeyeater]

On these last images, I’d go with Reed Warbler on this.

 

[Butty]

Am still away hence the BOC shots.

Here are the originals

As expected.