Tag Archives: Reed warbler

245/366 Juvenile Reed warbler

01 Tuesday Sep 2020

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One highlight of a bumper birding day at Cosmeston last Friday was seeing rather than just hearing a little family of Reed warblers (they frequently hide away amongst the reeds so only their distinctive call can be heard). I caught glimpses of birds moving in the greenery, then recognised the constant call of a youngster and figured I had a better than usual chance of seeing something, as young birds are often less wary than adults.

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So, I waited … and I waited … and after 7-8 minutes, this little cutie popped out, foraged, hopped up and down the reed stems, and poked about in the bushes.

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And then, judging by how often it kept closing its eyes, I think it headed back into cover amongst the reeds for a snooze.

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154/366 Reed bed magic

02 Tuesday Jun 2020

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I was listening to a Reed warbler singing its magical song yesterday when, surprisingly, it popped up to the top of a stem to bellow even louder. And then another bird appeared in the reeds nearby, and then two more flew in, followed quickly by yet another. As I stayed motionless, this delightful family of two adults and three fledglings flitted around in the reeds, feeding, being fed, and singing.

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After watching, spellbound, for about 5 minutes, I was just about to walk on when in flew a female Reed bunting, her beak stuffed full of moth, no doubt a snack for her offspring hidden in a nest somewhere amongst the reeds. What a magical slice of life that reed bed contains!

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111/365 Reed warbler

21 Sunday Apr 2019

Posted by in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

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There are thirteen species of warbler that regularly breed in Britain and I find them some of the trickiest to identify as several are typically LBJs, little brown jobs.

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The Reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) is, I think, one of the easier, partly because of its recognisable warble and partly because it lives up to its name by living almost exclusively in reeds.

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But it’s an elusive little bird so I’ve never managed to get clear photos of it … until today, when this little beauty was so intent on finding food that I was able to watch it for over ten minutes. Just perfect!

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The secretive Reed warbler

21 Thursday Jun 2018

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For day 21 of #30DaysWild and as a solstice treat, I went for a visit to the Wildlife Trust’s Parc Slip Nature Reserve. It was a lovely sunny day and I walked far and wide, seeing lots of wildlife and wildflowers, but the highlight came as I was sitting on a park bench in a distant part of the reserve eating my lunch.

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I could hear what I thought were Reed warblers (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), dotting about in the reeds and bushes growing along a nearby stream, and could see the undergrowth moving as they gradually came nearer.

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These are often very shy birds and I’ve never managed very clear photos of them so I waited to see if they would pop up.

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And my patience was eventually rewarded with these fleeting views of two of a family of four Reed warblers – still not great shots but I’m happy with them.

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