Monday 6 May 2013

Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Wood Warbler in Edinburgh

Wood Warbler giving shiver-song in Duddingston yesterday

I have managed to photograph these three species of Phylloscopus (leaf-searching) warbler in Edinburgh over the last few days. Of course, the Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff are common in the wooded and scrubby parts of the city at this time of year. Yesterday's Wood Warbler was a little more unexpected. Singing birds are no problem to identify - as Gilbert White famously noted in describing the three species as Laughing Willow-wren, Chif-chaf and Shivering Wilow-wren.

Yesterday's Wood Warbler showing off its primary projection and yellow throat
A Willow Warbler at Duddingston yesterday had the pale washed out appearance of a more northerly bird. Long primary projection obscured...
Note short primary projection compared to tertial length on this Chiffchaff photographed at Blackford Pond
Pale eye ring, dusky cheek and (in life) tail dipping behaviour all good Chiffchaff features


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good for you getting the wood warbler. Regards, Bruce Kerr, Loanhead

Debs F Grant said...

Excellent post. Will pop over to xeno canto to swat up on my Warbler song then head to Duddingston soon.

KiwiGav said...

Thank you for this, your photos and the RSPB's sound files made it a lot easier to ID the birds I saw at the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens today, the Wood Warbler was a first for me. Really appreciate your work!

regards
KiwiGav of WBIST.com

Morg said...

Thanks for the comments. Was hoping to post something similar for the Sylvia warblers but have not caught up with either the garden warbler or lesser whitethroat this year as yet...

buradan said...

Interestinng read