Small Garden Warbler (2 Viewers)

[TWM]

I've had this Garden Warbler around my garden in NE Scotland for the past four days.
Firstly Garden Warblers in November are very unusual this far north and secondly it is very small.
My first sighting on 31/10 was very brief and I was thinking Lesser Whitethroat or Northern Chiffchaff.
On 01/11 I got better views but although it looked like a Garden Warbler it was too small compared to the loads that I have seen over the years.
Today I finally got photos of what I thought was a Chiffchaff only to see that it was the small Garden Warbler.
Has anybody on here come across small Garden Warblers?
Photo attached

 

[Butty]

it is very small

Judging the size of a lone bird is notoriously unreliable. Did you see it alongside a known species?

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Can't comment on the size, but I note there's also been this Garden Warbler on Rathlin over recent days.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1720142510897414226

 

[KenM]

I've had this Garden Warbler around my garden in NE Scotland for the past four days.
Firstly Garden Warblers in November are very unusual this far north and secondly it is very small.
My first sighting on 31/10 was very brief and I was thinking Lesser Whitethroat or Northern Chiffchaff.
On 01/11 I got better views but although it looked like a Garden Warbler it was too small compared to the loads that I have seen over the years.
Today I finally got photos of what I thought was a Chiffchaff only to see that it was the small Garden Warbler.
Has anybody on here come across small Garden Warblers?
Photo attached

I’ve certainly not seen small GW before and it does look “small”.
There have been “late” birds before, including other tran-Saharan species- Reed Warbler, Lesser and Common Whitethroat in the South perhaps milder Winters are encouraging this behaviour?

Cheers

 

[TWM]

Judging the size of a lone bird is notoriously unreliable. Did you see it alongside a known species?

Yes it was smaller than a Dunnock.
I completely agree about perceived size but I have been a birder for over 60 years and have not lost my marbles yet
I know that it is a Garden Warbler but I am just curious about its origins and size and wondered if anyone had encountered one like this.
PS. I don't go along with 'runt birds' I have never come across one.

 

[Butty]

it was smaller than a Dunnock . . . I know that it is a Garden Warbler . . . I don't go along with 'runt birds'

Logic says that there's gotta be something wrong with one of these statements, I'm afraid. My money would still be on the first.
NB that Svensson gives lengths of both garden warbler and dunnock as 13-14½ cm - so that could easily give a perceived size-difference with both still being within variation.

 

[01101001]

There is one ssp. other than the nominate, but BotW says nothing about size:

Race woodwardi is paler and greyer than nominate, without cream or buff tinge.

Garden Warbler - BirdForum Opus

www.birdforum.net

 

[TWM]

Logic says that there's gotta be something wrong with one of these statements, I'm afraid. My money would still be on the first.
NB that Svensson gives lengths of both garden warbler and dunnock as 13-14½ cm - so that could easily give a perceived size-difference with both still being within variation.

I guess if it was at the 13cm end of the scale that would account for it.

 

[dantheman]

You then have to ask what the 13 -14.5cm range means ...

Can all birds in the whole range be any size from 13-14.5cm? Are birds from certain parts of the range different sizes (regional variation or even different subspecies)? Are the vast number of individuals of the species within a narrower range of sizes, with a few complete outliers?

 

[jogresh]

There is one ssp. other than the nominate, but BotW says nothing about size:

Garden Warbler - BirdForum Opus

www.birdforum.net

The eastern subspecies S. b. woodwardi is slightly larger and paler than the nominate form with a greyer tone to the upperparts and whiter underparts. [from Wiki]

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello,

I had the same thoughts as Jogresh (whats the english name für Gedankenübertragung?):
I looked in the Helm book Sylvia Warblers: the ssp woodwardi is on average slightly larger (mainly in wing length) than the nominate ssp.

(I must admit I hoped it would be smaller, because your bird looks so smooth and clean "tea with milk" brownish-grey and is slightly paler than the average German Garden Warbler)

 

[Butty]

slightly paler than the average German Garden Warbler

Exposure/lighting?

 

[jogresh]

Hello,
(whats the english name für Gedankenübertragung?):

It's a good few years since my German O level, but iirc it translates as "open cheese sandwich"?..

 

[Derbyfella]

It's a good few years since my German O level, but iirc it translates as "open cheese sandwich"?..

🤣after a few this has tickled me, hopefully we get an answer to both.

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello Jogresh,

really? I used google search to translate "Gedankenübertragung" and it said "thought transference". As sometimes such literally phrases are translated wrong, and I am not really interested to dig deeper (although I am grateful to improve my english here) I skipped this.

But I am interested in Open Sandwiches after a google search

 

[jogresh]

Ah thanks for the correction Alex - I thought that, like me, u fancied a bedtime snack. 😉🤔🤤

 

[Jo Morton]

Yes it was smaller than a Dunnock.
I completely agree about perceived size but I have been a birder for over 60 years and have not lost my marbles yet
I know that it is a Garden Warbler but I am just curious about its origins and size and wondered if anyone had encountered one like this.
PS. I don't go along with 'runt birds' I have never come across one.

Yes it was smaller than a Dunnock.
I completely agree about perceived size but I have been a birder for over 60 years and have not lost my marbles yet
I know that it is a Garden Warbler but I am just curious about its origins and size and wondered if anyone had encountered one like this.
PS. I don't go along with 'runt birds' I have never come across one.

I have been puzzling about a little bird that has been frequenting our feeders recently (SE Scotland), and managed to take some snaps just now, admittedly in very poor light. Noticing from looking it up that it does indeed resemble a Garden Warbler, as it has no distinguishing features particularly and is definitely not a Dunnock , more elegant, and not as fat. Managed to take some snaps just now, which I've attached below, but apologies for appalling light.

I've had this Garden Warbler around my garden in NE Scotland for the past four days.
Firstly Garden Warblers in November are very unusual this far north and secondly it is very small.
My first sighting on 31/10 was very brief and I was thinking Lesser Whitethroat or Northern Chiffchaff.
On 01/11 I got better views but although it looked like a Garden Warbler it was too small compared to the loads that I have seen over the years.
Today I finally got photos of what I thought was a Chiffchaff only to see that it was the small Garden Warbler.
Has anybody on here come across small Garden Warblers?
Photo attached

 

[Bubbs]

I have been puzzling about a little bird that has been frequenting our feeders recently (SE Scotland), and managed to take some snaps just now, admittedly in very poor light. Noticing from looking it up that it does indeed resemble a Garden Warbler, as it has no distinguishing features particularly and is definitely not a Dunnock , more elegant, and not as fat. Managed to take some snaps just now, which I've attached below, but apologies for appalling light.

Looks like a Blackcap.

Mods….dump the snowflakes.

 

[Jo Morton]

Looks like a Blackcap.

Mods….dump the snowflakes.

Ah, yes, I think that's likely, thank you....the only very slight faint tinge of rust in its 'cap' was foxing me. Range of birds on these comparatively new feeders is only gradually increasing, but I had not spotted summer plumaged blackcaps here, so was confused. Looking for more info, however, I notice that Blackcaps may be visiting from Europe - how exciting1

 

[Bubbs]

Wintering Blackcaps – Where Do They Come From and Why?

Stuart Bearhop reveals that wintering Blackcaps are not a recent phenomenon and explains where our wintering birds come from and why. He also points out that wintering birds are not the rarity that many of us think they are.

www.birdguides.com