Expecting migrant warblers as well as a few other long distance migrants to be arriving in some numbers, I took myself off for a walk around Netherfield Lagoons in south Notts this morning. I was not disappointed! There were three Little Ringed Plovers and three Common Terns present as well as over twenty Sand Martin and a handful of Swallows. But the warblers were the thing! There were eight species present although I only managed to see seven, failing to see or even hear a Grasshopper Warbler. I had been reliably informed that two birds had been reeling earlier in the day but they were silent when I was there. Obviously I'll have to get up a bit earlier.
The most common warbler this morning was Blackcap with at least eleven singing males recorded. Scientific name
Sylvia atricapilla roughly meaning Black-haired Wood Sprite is pretty damned apt I'd say.
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Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla |
Loads and loads of Chiffchaff singing. A few weeks back this site held a Siberian Chiffchaff but not today.
Collybita is from the Latin for a money-changer! The chiff - chaff song sounding like coins clinking together. With
Phylloscopus being Greek for leaf-seeker then we have a Leaf seeking money changer!! A bit of a stretch that one.
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Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita |
Common Whitethroats had only just arrived and I heard and saw only three singing males.
Sylvia being wood or sprite and
communis meaning common then it makes sense if this is a common wood sprite. Only they aren't as common as they were.
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Whitethroat Sylvia communis |
In fact there were more Lesser Whitethroats singing than Common Whitethroat and they had been present for a few days, arriving in Notts slightly earlier than Common Whitethroats.
Curruca, would you credit, means unidentified small bird! So for me, from now on, there will be Little Brown Currucas!
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Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca |
Sedge Warblers were present in small numbers, presumably they had been there a few days but there were no Reed Warblers there, leastways I didn't hear or see one and there had been no reports when I spoke to other birders. S
choenobaenus means reed-treader - how good's that! What with
Acrocephalus translating as topmost or highest we have the Highest Reed-treader.
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Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus |
There were at least five Cetti's warblers blasting out their explosive song but I didn't get much of a glimpse of any of them never mind a photo opportunity but the Willow Warblers were far more obliging.
Trochilus is Greek for wren and so pertains to the old name of Willow Wren I presume, back in the days of confusion between Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Wood Warbler...not that anyone would confuse any of these birds today!!!
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Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus |
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