Hume's Warbler; Friday 3rd February 2023

Just as happened last year, there were opportunities to see overwintering Leaf Warblers. In 2022 we logged Pallas's and Yellow-browed Warblers in the first week of January, and added a Hume's Leaf Warbler to our list in early February. This year we had already seen a Yellow-browed Warbler and now, again in the first few days in February, we travelled down to a small village near Keynsham in North Somerset to try to see another Hume's Warbler that had been present for at least a couple of weeks. This Hume's Warbler had once again chosen a Sewage Treatment Works, this one close to the quaint sounding place called Compton Dando (which triggered vague memories of gymnast and television celebrity Suzanne Dando) as its winter home, proving that not all is glamorous in the birding game. Sewage plants are long known as top spots to find scarce birds, the sites are a hotbed for flies and other insects attracted by the settling beds and in turn the food source attracts birds.

There had been some fantastic photographs of the Hume's Warbler posted online, my friend Jim (The Standlake Birder) took some crackers just a few days before, so I was hopeful of improving on my own previous bang average efforts of the species. My Hume's Warbler portfolio wasn't large, I'd only seen three before, two together in Norfolk in 2019 and the aforementioned bird in Eastbourne last year, and apart from some grainy shots of one of the Norfolk birds none were particularly noteworthy.

Parking was easy at the sewage plant and we only had to walk for about twenty feet to join the only other birder present at the perimeter fence. Through the fence we could comfortably watch the two small settling beds where the Hume's Warbler had been frequently reported. I checked off all of the perches that Jim had captured the bird on, the guy wires that held the rotating spraying arms rigid, those arms themselves, the concrete walls, and a bramble bush next to them. I began systematically scanning from one potential place to another for the Warbler but for fifteen minutes saw nothing more exciting than a Chiffchaff. Our vantage point was below an overhanging Hazel tree and I suddenly realised that there were several birds moving around in the branches of it. First I noticed a Goldcrest, then another. They were followed by a pair of Long-tailed Tits. Things were warming up. It was the other chap that spotted the Hume's though, barely feet above our heads. It was tricky to observe since, like all of the other members of its family, the small sprite was extremely nimble and moved swiftly and erratically through the tree. Eventually I managed to grab a photograph or two but hardly of the standard I was hoping for. Still, I had my record shots of the 116th bird on the Old Caley year list.

Hume's Warbler (Phylloscopus humei)

In truth the light was poor, it was an overcast day and the surrounding trees made the available light even worse. It was very breezy too. Of course those were mere excuses used to gloss over my own poor form. It didn't help that the target bird wasn't playing ball at all either, in the first forty-five minutes of us being there, the Warbler hadn't adorned any of the previously mentioned perches. Then without warning, and just after I had shifted my position slightly to another gap in the fence, the Hume's Warbler appeared in the bramble bush. It wasn't easy to follow through the thick tangle of thorny branches and leaves but I tracked it as best as I could and fired off shots with the camera whenever the bird partially emerged from the cover. Unfortunately there was never a chance to get a frame filling image of the Warbler in clear view, and it turned out that a better opportunity wouldn't arise either so the few usable images that I took would prove to be the best of the day.

Hume's Warblers are very closely related to Yellow-browed Warblers but are distinct in various subtle ways. The overall plumage of the Hume's is more subdued with a dull green and buff replacing the brighter tones of the YBW. The supercilium and wing bars are less distinct and are more buff than yellow. The most noticeable difference is in the calls. Hume's Warbler has a disyllabic and whistling-like 'dsu-weeet' call as opposed to the high pitched 'tsweeeet' of the Yellow-browed. So far I hadn't heard this Hume's Warbler call at all and two brief observations in almost an hour wasn't great viewing either. But in my experience they are very difficult birds to watch because of their furtive habits, although because of those great photos circulating on the internet, I had thought that this bird would buck the trend.

It was almost an hour later when we picked the Hume's up again, this time it was calling, high in one of the conifer trees next to where the car was parked. Although we could see the bird reasonably well as it flitted in and out of the dense fronds of the trees, there was no real opportunity to add to the portfolio. I tried though. And failed. There was no inclination on the part of the bird to come back down to our level either.

A few birders came and went, much easier satisfied than myself, while the Hume's Warbler remained high in the conifers, we knew it was still up there because it carried on calling periodically. One of the other birders got our pulse rates raised for a few moments when he announced that a Firecrest was in one of the trees overhanging the road. I quickly got on the bird in question and saw a Goldcrest. My news when imparted to the finder didn't go down too well and I was basically called an idiot by him and his mate. The bird in question flew across the road into a small orchard there and the two chaps continued to confidently call it a Firecrest. It was the only bird in the tree and yet I still only saw a Goldcrest and when I mentioned that it was still "just" a Goldcrest, I was informed that I must be looking at a different bird. So after getting them to point at the bird, which was the same one that I'd been following, I took a couple of photos. And showed the best of them to the chaps. We all make mistakes some times, it was a Goldcrest.

Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)

My two new best friends left, somewhat annoyed with me I think, while Mrs Caley and I vowed to give it another half hour. One of us was getting very bored at staring through the metal fence at the less than salubrious scene and the smell at times made your nose wrinkle. Another year tick presented itself in the shape of a couple of Siskins even higher up than the Hume's had been in a tall tree. There were lots of other species that were visiting the beds to feed. At least four wintering Chiffchaffs showed well out in the open as did Pied and Grey Wagtails, Blackbirds, Robins, Dunnocks and a Wren. All were attracted to the insect feast. Unfortunately the Hume's Warbler didn't join in the banquet and I thought it was maybe because it was just a tad too breezy and chilly so the Hume's preferred to feed in the more sheltered spots within the trees.

Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)

Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)

Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba yarrellii)

A Treecreeper clambered up a nearby tree trunk and a Dunnock briefly got us interested again when it shuffled out of the bramble bush. More Goldcrests kept the interest level up but increased the frustration. The Hume's Warbler was still staying hidden.

Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris)

Dunnock (Prunella modularis)

Eventually the Hume's Warbler did show in the bramble about forty-five minutes later but again only briefly. It almost gave me the perfect photo opportunity, almost, but frustratingly there was always a branch or three in the way or the bird was facing away.

Watching and trying to photograph small Warblers shuffling through bushes and foliage is one of my favourite things to do while birding. I love a challenge and trying to track the sprites as they flit about is a joy. It isn't the easiest sport but if you get a good view or manage to capture a decent image or two then its very rewarding. I look forward to seeing my next Hume's Warbler and once more attempting to nail that photo.

Year List additions;

116) Hume's Warbler, 117) Siskin