16/05/2023 Brushes Reservoir, Greater Manchster

Wood Warbler: Toady I turned 38, yeah I'm getting old, I'm defiantly getting greyer and heavier. But regardless of all this I am blessed with a beautiful family and great job. Dawn and Autumn spoilt me with a pile of presents and a lovely walk to find a wonderful wood warbler.   

Brushes Reservoir is the second lowest reservoir of a series of four in the Brushes valley. Above Stalybridge in Greater Manchester and offers an easy 2 mile walk past Walkerwood and Brushes reservoirs surrounded by a mixture of open grassland, woodland and good views of the Brushes Valley and surrounding hills.

The bird is pretty faithful to an area along a path up a slight hill, above the Brushes Reservoir. We could hear it on approach and when we saw it the bird was continually singing and foraging out in the open. 

Wood warblers are green above and bright white below, with a yellow throat and yellow eyebrow stripe. They are a little larger than the similar willow warbler and chiffchaff but have a very distinct song. 

Thanks Dawn and Autumn for a lovely birthday.

14/03/2021 Bin Green, Dove Stone RSPB

Wood Warbler: I love wood warblers, these are attractive but unobtrusive Phylloscopus with their bright yellow upper parts, throat and upper chest and white under parts they similar to willow warbler, but with much more contrasting plumage.

 

This bird has taken up residence in the woods just below Bin Green car park at Dove Stone Reservoir, the bird wasn't in showing itself as it foraged low amongst the scrub and rowne trees before flying higher into the canopy to sing.

At times it was pretty close but only for short periods, the issue wasn't the bird but the light, shooting within the woods on a dull like like today made me push my ISO much higher than I would like resulting significantly creamier images.    

Wood warbler also have a brilliant and distinctive call that some liken to a 'spinning coin' with a repetitive, descending metallic sound.

They are spring and summer visitors, wood warblers arrive in the the UK around late April or early May, and generally depart by early September so it's a bird I don't get to see every year so when I do its always a special day. 

Definitely one of my favorite warblers. 
 

29/04/2012 Martin Mere WWT

Blackcap: On a stormy day at Martin Mere the rain did its best to keep the birds under cover and me tucked up in a nice dry hide, but rain cant keep me from birding. Along the path passed the Swan Link Hide there where a few Blackcap singing and showing well.

Wood Warbler: While walking around in the rain trying to find the Blackcaps I came across a Wood Warbler singing and calling before it decided it had enough of the weather and flew down among the Hawthorn bushes.

Shoveler: I started the morning at the back of the reserve on the Reed Bed Walk, I had some good views of a male Marsh Harrier, two Red Legged Partridge, Pochard and a few Shoveler Ducks which where very flighty to begin with but after a while they returned and where showing well.

No sign of the Crested Pochard or Med Gulls.