Grasshopper Warbler

Above: Grasshopper Warbler
Below: Sedge Warbler.

A summer visitor to the UK arriving in April and leaving again in September, although the odd individual may linger as late as October. They prefer areas of dense vegetation, usually a little damp, as these encourage more insects. You can often find them in dense piles of brambles or at the edges of reed beds. They are fairly widespread throughout the UK.

They are not particularly colourful birds but do have a beauty of their own non-the-less. Their head, back wings and rump are brown and quite heavily streaked with dark brown or black. The tail is all dark brown and rounded at the tip. The breast, belly, flanks and vent are all dark buff with a hint of darker streaking. Only the throat is pale buff with no streaking at all. The beak is two-tone being darker above and paler below. The legs are pinkish buff in colour.

The only other common streaked warbler in the UK is the sedge warbler, shown below left for comparison. It however is easy to distinguish by virtue of the bold pale eye-brow stripe. It also has a paler breast and belly without any hint of streaking and a much warmer colour over all. It's also a lot more easy to find than the grasshopper warbler.

These birds have a most unusual song. It's just a continuous noise that's been likened to the rewinding of a fishing reel. When I first went looking out for these birds I tried hard to listen for this sound but sometimes spotted the bird before I heard it. That's partly because I don't hear too well but also because their song is surprisingly quiet compared to other birds. I found that other singing birds easily drowned it out. Anyhow click here to have a listen and see what you think.

These are skulking birds that are not easy to find. They do however like to perch openly when singing which is usually confined to dawn and dusk. So the best time to look for them is early, when the sun has first come over the horizon. This time is likely to be quieter than dusk and thus there will be less chance of disturbance. The photo top-left was taken at about 4:50 am. (Yes, I know it really is an obsession.)

So where to try? Well I can't give you any guarantees but the following sites should offer the best chances. In North Wales, Eastern Anglesey coast, especially by the point near Puffin Island, is reported to be a stronghold of these birds. Conwy RSPB also has suitable habitat. In Cheshire, the North Wirral coastal park is certainly a good place to try as is Woolston Eyes. In Lancashire, Leighton Moss and Marton Mere are both usually reliable places. In Greater Manchester, you can try Bickershaw just south-west of Wigan. In fact any area with plenty of low, dense, preferably damp vegetation is a likely candidate.

As with many birds slow, careful approach can get you surprisingly close to these birds once you've located them.