I might have stubby legs but they can move quite quickly when the need arises. And, when I got a message that there was a reeling Grasshopper warbler at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park while I was walking along the local coastal path, the need to move quickly was strong. Luckily, I made it in time to hear, and even more luckily, see this visibly unostentatious little bird (the typical ‘little brown job’), though, as you can see from my photo, it was always partly obscured behind foliage.

If you’ve never heard a Grasshopper warbler reeling, I made a little recording of this one. The reason for the bird’s name will immediately become obvious. And, something I discovered while watching this one, while its mouth was gaping wide uttering its unique song, its tail was quivering in time to the reeling.