One of the best £25 I have spent?

I went for a couple of walks last weekend, not entirely with birdwatching in mind.  One was round the country park – I know now that there is both a reed warbler and a sedge warbler there at the moment.  I have also realised that the sedge warbler that I thought was singing from the reeds in the Industrial Estate all these years was probably a reed warbler – or at least it is this year.  And I can confirm that despite trying to confuse me by duetting with a reed bunting, there are more reed warblers around Barnes Meadow than sedge warblers and quite a lot of common whitethroats this year too.

Even better though, I found my first ever willow warbler on my local patch.  I had wondered if they were there, but I just didn’t know it and they were.  It was singing its little drifting down song from the top of a willow tree on the old railway track, 5 minutes from home.  I even managed to pick it out with my binoculars.  So a lifetime first for me – that’s four new warblers that I’ve seen this year, and one new one that I’ve heard but not seen.

Hopefully I will remember everything from my warbler ID course after a long winter when there are no warblers about to bring sunshine into the grey.

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