ICTERINE WARBLER

Another message from Steve had me popping over to The Leas after work today to look for a migrant ICTERINE WARBLER. The last one I saw was in 2006 at Cresswell Pond so this was a bit overdue. When I got there the rain was lashing down and not a single person was around, so I trudged through the foliage getting absolutely drenched looking for the bird. At first there were no signs of any life, but after ten minutes I just happened to have a look behind me and saw a bird fly out from a bush and onto an exposed perch. It was an obvious big warbler and I instinctively knew it was the Icky. Checking it through my binoculars confirmed it. It flitted about in the open for a good 20 minutes giving me excellent views before eventually flying off to some thick bushes to the far right of the mound. As the rain was getting heavier I decided to head off, but not before watching a calling Whimbrel fly low overhead.

ICTERINE WARBLER