Pterodroma
10-Jun-07, 14:01
It has been interesting following Bill Fernie's "Unusual sound in the garden" thread.
Just to put things into perspective, Grasshopper Warbler is not a rare bird in Caithness. It is best described as a passage migrant and scarce summer breeding visitor. However, the numbers of breeding pairs do vary from year to year. It's habit of singing its reeling song mainly early and late in the day makes it easily overlooked and even when heard it can be a diffucult bird to locate and see. The song is far carrying and the bird moves it's head from side to side as it sings adding to the difficulty of locating the direction from which the song comes. More often than not it sings from a concealed position, though occassionally it will sing from an exposed perch.
This year appears to be a particularly good year for Grasshopper Warblers in Caithness and they have been reported singing from many parts of the County.
Just to put things into perspective, Grasshopper Warbler is not a rare bird in Caithness. It is best described as a passage migrant and scarce summer breeding visitor. However, the numbers of breeding pairs do vary from year to year. It's habit of singing its reeling song mainly early and late in the day makes it easily overlooked and even when heard it can be a diffucult bird to locate and see. The song is far carrying and the bird moves it's head from side to side as it sings adding to the difficulty of locating the direction from which the song comes. More often than not it sings from a concealed position, though occassionally it will sing from an exposed perch.
This year appears to be a particularly good year for Grasshopper Warblers in Caithness and they have been reported singing from many parts of the County.