After a couple of nights spent in an excellent wigwam at Brae completing early/late surveys, I was making my way to the survey site when I pulled-up alongside a mature garden at Firth that always looks the part and lowered the passenger car window for a listen. Bingo! I was greeted by a very loud Warbler song that immediately had me scrambling out of my car. I quickly sound-recorded the song that contained plenty of frequently-repeated mimicry sounding very different to the recently heard Marsh Warblers on Unst, before it repeated seven or eight times the diagnostic 'tea-for-two' phrase, that seems so apt for Blyth's Reed Warbler, as the vast majority winter in India. It's taken its time being the first Spring singing BRW that I've found in the UK! It worked its way virtually unseen along the back edge of the garden before reaching the closest willow where I obtained some nice views and a few images before it flew into some tall sycamores. I then had to leave to complete my survey but there was no sign or sound of it when we returned a few hours later. Late evening back on Unst, the day wasn't quite over as thanks to a tip-off from Mike we visited Francis Wilson to see her release a Bedstraw Hawk-Moth that she'd found in her conservatory.
Blyth's Reed Warbler at Firth, Mossbank
Sonogram from recording of Blyth’s Reed Warbler at Firth (left) frequently repeating the same cycles separated by (vertical) tak notes, matched to cycles contained within a sonogram of a Blyth’s Reed Warbler (right) here:
Sonogram from recording of Blyth's Reed Warbler at Firth delivering a convincing mimicry of Chaffinch calls (left) matched by a
Blyth’s Reed Warbler doing likewise recorded in the Netherlands (right) here:
Bedstraw Hawkmoth at Westing
only the second that we've seen - upon release at c.10pm it flew off strongly south
