Various warblers / Armenia (1 Viewer)

[Jose605]

Please correct me if I'm wrong:

# 1&2 Lesser Whitethroat
# 3 Eastern Orphean
# 4 River
# 5 Sedge

Today at Lake Sevan.

Thank you!

Jose

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello Jose,
agree with Lesser WT for the first
2 is a Common Whitethroat imo by pale yellow-brown hues and strong yellow-flesh legs
pass on 3, although Western OW I saw had a stronger bill, although your birds bill is on the strong side for a Lesser WT. And such pale eyes are rare in Lesser WT (yes, within variation)
4 looks like a Reed/Marsh Warbler to me. Do you have more pictures?
5 is a 1 cy Aquatic Warbler, nice and congratulations! Please note:

• lack of spots on breast (sometimes forming a spotted breast-band) present in many 1 cy Sedge Warblers
• really yellowish-cream hues (not yuffish with a yellow tinge as in similar Sedge W)
• really contrasting blackish crown with broad pale median crown stripe
• darkish lores is within variation, I know from literature

 

[Jose605]

Hello Jose,
agree with Lesser WT for the first
2 is a Common Whitethroat imo by pale yellow-brown hues and strong yellow-flesh legs
pass on 3, although Western OW I saw had a stronger bill, although your birds bill is on the strong side for a Lesser WT. And such pale eyes are rare in Lesser WT (yes, within variation)
4 looks like a Reed/Marsh Warbler to me. Do you have more pictures?
5 is a 1 cy Aquatic Warbler, nice and congratulations! Please note:

• lack of spots on breast (sometimes forming a spotted breast-band) present in many 1 cy Sedge Warblers
• really yellowish-cream hues (not yuffish with a yellow tinge as in similar Sedge W)
• really contrasting blackish crown with broad pale median crown stripe
• darkish lores is within variation, I know from literature

Thank you very much, Alexander!! Great detailed feedback as usual. Much appreciated. I guess I only got right #1. Though I still feel #3 is Eastern Orphean. I don't have any other photos of number #4 unfortunately (he came and went very fast). Happy for #5, new to me! Thanks again for the precise info on it.

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

After looking at the Aquatic Warbler again, this is a harder bird for me than I first thought. I realized that the ID-friendly pale colouration seems at least part of an slight overexposure. I hope for others to confirm or correct
Here is a 1 cy Aquatic Warbler for comparison (Trunvel, France, autumn 1998)

https://flic.kr/p/ETAGkV

Thanks to the friendly staff there, who showed me many interesting birds!

 

[andyb39]

I can't see any records of Aquatic Warbler for Armenia and it would be a long way out of range, especially at this time of year. I think it's more likely to be an over-exposed Sedge.

Agree with Common Whitethroat for no.2, and I think no.3 probably is Eastern Orphean on bill shape and face pattern.

 

[Jose605]

Thanks for the additional info, Alexander.

Here's the other 3 photos I took of the bird. The species seems to be very rare in Armenia, but who knows.

 

[Jose605]

I can't see any records of Aquatic Warbler for Armenia and it would be a long way out of range, especially at this time of year. I think it's more likely to be an over-exposed Sedge.

Agree with Common Whitethroat for no.2, and I think no.3 probably is Eastern Orphean on bill shape and face pattern.

Thanks a lot for your feedback. I just posted 3 additional photos of the Aquatic/Sedge, in case they help.

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Thank you for the new pictures, I think it is indeed a Sedge Warbler, but what a pale yellowish bird. Thank you for posting it and to Andy for correcting me!

 

[Jose605]

Thank you for the new pictures, I think it is indeed a Sedge Warbler, but what a pale yellowish bird. Thank you for posting it and to Andy for correcting me!

Thanks again, Alexander! Once again the need to post more than one photo

 

[Jose605]

Btw, I found 2 more photos for birds #3 and #4. Please have a look in case they can throw some light.

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Thank you for the new picturs!
I hope for others to jump in and help me with the first bird. The second pictures helps to confirm that this is indeed a Reed/Marsh Warbler imo.

I just realized that I created a new (?) word: what is the colour of the most yellowish Sedge Warbler, that are so yellowish, that pale cream buff doesnt this justice? Yuffish
Sorry, couldnt resist.

 

[smiths]

#3 is also a lesser whitethroat.
#5 a sedge indeed.

 

[pianoman]

I would have put Common WT for #1...the wings look quite rufous and there is not much of an eye mask, plus the edges of the white throat are rather blurred.

 

[lou salomon]

1 Sylvia curruca
2 Sylvia communis
3 Sylvia curruca
4 Acrocephalus palustris?
5 Acrocephalus schoenobaenus

 

[Jose605]

Thank you all for your help. I think we got them all down. Cheers!

 

[pianoman]

1 Sylvia curruca
2 Sylvia communis
3 Sylvia curruca
4 Acrocephalus palustris?
5 Acrocephalus schoenobaenus

Wow, having looked at a few pictures now, I'm realizing how variable Sylvia Curruca is. I'll need to look more carefully at WT on my patch in future

 

[lou salomon]

Wow, having looked at a few pictures now, I'm realizing how variable Sylvia Curruca is. I'll need to look more carefully at WT on my patch in future

indeed, the second bird is a bit exceptional with its white supercillium.

 

[andyb39]

indeed, the second bird is a bit exceptional with its white supercillium.

Yes, I thought it was Eastern Orphean after looking at the first image but it's clearly LW from the second.