Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Winterton / Horsey May 26 2024
A Blyth’s Reed Warbler was present in Winterton North Dunes, seen and heard singing frequently. It only stayed the one day. It represents the 362nd bird in TG42 and was my 326th species in TG42.
Images and recordings of the bird are included below.
Blyth’s Reed has been a long overdue addition to the TG42 list. We’ve had a couple of near misses in recent years, with a bird at Winterton and an individual I had in Sea Palling. The former was photographed by Sean and looked promising with a plain wing and general pallid tones, but was inconclusive and didn’t linger, sadly (this bird is discussed later). The latter I picked up doing the repeated tek call from thick vegetation in late September one evening about 10 years ago. It sounded spot on and I spent the last hour of daylight trying to get a view but it just wouldn’t show. It circled me and was extremely close at times. I suspect with a recording it would have been shown to be a Blyth’s but it was lost to history and memory.
Sunday May 26 was another slow start. Some hirundine and Swift movement but very little else to warrant much more than a dog walk around the village. The whole county was seemingly migrant-free again but a Whatsapp on our local group about a Marsh Warbler now reidentified as a possible Blyth’s Reed was more than enough to get the bike out. We’ve found several Marsh in the square but Blyth’s Reed would be a new bird. It was first heard by Norwich birder Stuart White and thought a possible Marsh. Doubts set in and the identity remained unresolved for a while.
Many people often wonder how birds like this aren’t sorted out quickly, but these types in particular can be difficult if not singing well and / or if you aren’t very familiar with Marsh. Recordings were taken and Blyth’s Reed became a favoured option. Phil Heath was there and certainly thought it worth pursuing so I got on the Charge and cycled down. There headwind and sodden ground made the track at Horsey a pain in the arse and turned a ten-minute ride into twenty minutes but it was good for the legs and a decent cardio workout.
As I arrived Pat and Tim were the only observers present. I asked if it was still singing but they hadn’t seen or heard it for a while. Immediately there were two whistle churrs from the bushes/trees nearby. “That’s it,” I ventured, “surely”? There was then a little tinkle like a Goldfinch I had second thoughts – until Pat said it had been heard mimicking Goldfinch earlier. There was then a short period with nothing until it started singing slightly to our left. Phil and I darted over there but it again went silent for a minute, then was heard slightly further in. I eventually picked it up again and it began to sing a little better. Barry (a local) was already employing his well-known Access All Areas pass, so we decided to enter the small area of trees with him in order to obtain a better angle and a less obstructed view.
Inside the small wooded copse, I managed to locate the bird by sight. Very tricky to see well but over the course of several minutes, both Phil and I got good, close views. The appearance was definitely more pallid and “bland” compared to a Reed Warbler and without the olive cast and buttery underparts of a Marsh Warbler. The wing length was impossible to see with any certainty but the wing did look plain. It often clambered up branches with its head pointing upwards giving it a long slender profile. At times it adopted the much referred to “banana” posture. The underparts were notably silky white on occasion.
The song of the bird was quite unlike a Marsh Warbler – a species we have found several of over the years and are well versed in their vocalisations. However, not all Blyth’s Reeds are distinctive and when faced with a potential Blyth’s or Marsh, a cautious approach is needed. The structure of the song, as determined over around four hours of listening, was less rambling and chuntering than a Marsh Warbler (especially when they get going), with less mimicry and no African Sedge Warbler, which has been heard in most Marsh we have encountered. It did contain the whistles present in typical Blyth’s though and a couple of descending phrases that we have heard before in Blyth’s.
I cycled home and got thoroughly drenched in a thunderstorm. Haven’t been that soaked in years! I went down again that evening with Esther and enjoyed more views and singing with Andy and Tim and bumped into my old mate and top bloke Dave Edwards. Another Red-backed Shrike was present and we finished off in the Nelson Head having a fantastic pint of beer.
The images below are all from Sean Offord. Thanks Sean!
Below are a couple of my video recordings
and here is some audio I recorded
The 2022 mystery bird
This individual was found by Sean on Aug 23rd. Perhaps a little early for an autumn Blyth's but worth a look again.
As you can see from the only image of the bird that exists, it does look promising for Blyth's. The overall appearance is of a pallid and plain bird lacking warmth and any obvious rufescent tones. In particular, the wing looks rather plain lacking definition in the tertials and secondaries very much like a Blyth's. However, the wing shows a clear emargination on P3 but it doesn't seem to show one on P4, which it should for Blyth's. I don't know if that's a feature present on all birds or if the photo may just not be showing it. The wing does look slightly short perhaps but Sean couldn't glean any more in the field. There isn't enough to definitely exclude Reed Warbler here so this one will probably forever remain unresolved!
Thanks for getting this far!
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