A visit to Skaw produced the same Sedge Warbler as seen yesterday and a couple of Swallows. Norwick had only produced the juvenile Iceland Gull and a Blackcap when I chanced upon an interesting-looking Reed Warbler showing some features of fuscus, albeit with the variation shown by scirpaceus, DNA analysis seems to offer the only failsafe solution. All images below were obtained in heavily overcast conditions with light rain falling. The images have simply been cropped and no other adjustments made. Subsequent searches in better light unfortunately drew a blank. Very many thanks to both JFC and PVH for sharing their thoughts having cast their more expert eyes over the images.
Note the pale tip to outer tail feather, grey-brown hind-neck almost forming a shawl, faint pale fringes to its coverts and flight-feathers, emargination to p3 and quite probably faintly to p4
Note the pale tips to t3-t6. Also the apparent pale tips to its primaries or are they emphasised by photographic effect in this image?
Do its primaries appear too worn for a Spring fuscus?
Reed Warbler of uncertain subspecies at Norwick
