A bird I thought that I'd never get to see.
Aquatic Warblers are not mega rare visitors to the UK but they are very scarce and very hard to see. They are a red-listed species, breeding in small numbers in Eastern Europe, and a few pass through the south of England in the autumn of most years. However, they are extremely skulking birds and most views in the field are fleeting and the birds usually quickly move on further south to their wintering grounds.
So when an Aquatic Warbler was found in the rough grass covered banks of a small river in West Sussex and stayed for a second day, and even more crucially was seen and photographed by observers, I had to take a day off and take the chance to see it for myself. I waited for news that the bird was still present on the Monday morning before travelling. The night before was fine but breezy, the southerly wind hopefully having delayed the birds departure. We were in luck. Around eight-thirty positive news was received and our twitch was on.
We arrived at Upper Beeding, near Shoreham-on-Sea just before eleven, found a parking spot easily by the church and walked along a footpath down a small hill and through a meadow to the bank of the River Adur. Following instructions headed right, following the river upstream for a quarter of a mile. Staying on the eastern side of the river at a small crossing we could see around forty fellow twitchers stood on the bank a further two hundred yards further away. When we were twenty yards away, a small bird flew across the path and into the field beyond a fence to the right. There was a rush of excitement amongst the assembled and, as the bird showed, gasps off, "There it is!" and "That's it!" We hadn't even had to try. We'd seen our first Aquatic Warbler, the 417th bird on my life list. A very brief view of a small brown and buff coloured bird, the identity confirmed by the many on site who had already seen it and was concentrating on the area where it had last showed. If I didn't see it again then at least I had.
However, we weren't going to be happy with a one-second flight view from a bird that wasn't seen anywhere near well enough. The bird hadn't flown off either and was still in the tussocky vegetation just a few feet away. Ten minutes later the Aquatic Warbler flew back to the grass bank of the river, not far from where we stood, and promptly disappeared. This was a bird that preferred to creep around in the grass like a mouse rather than flit about in plain view. Aquatic Warblers are most similar to Sedge Warblers, but are shy and retiring unlike their brassy cousins. They creep around mostly unseen, similar to the habits shown by a Grasshopper Warbler.
Almost unbelievably, especially considering I'd waited for almost twenty-five years to see an Aquatic warbler, and after being on site for less than thirty minutes, I noticed some small movement among the grass just below my feet, maybe five yards away. Suddenly, I was staring at the Aquatic Warbler, it was sat up in th grass with its upper body completely on show. "There it is", I announced, "Right in front of me" and hurriedly took a couple of photos. The bird had stayed visible for long enough for Mrs Caley and a couple of others stood close by to see it. I excitedly checked the photos I'd taken and was delighted that I had a couple of semi-decent shots.
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| Aquatic Warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola) |
Aquatic Warblers differ from Sedge Warblers by having a very noticeable buff central crown stipe and a heavily streaked back, and both features had been very evident when the bird perched up in the grass. I thought that we'd been extremely fortunate to get the views we had but incredibly it would get even better. Less than five minutes had passed until the Warbler was on view again, this time it had been spotted clambering about, low down in a bank-side Umbellifer. Frustratingly though, while I listened to the whirr of a multitude of cameras, I couldn't see it. Mrs Caley was telling me where it was and saying, "Look it's right there, showing really well". It took me ages to finally lock onto the bird and by then it had climbed right up the plant so that even I couldn't miss it!
Most of the twitchers left after that show. I considered going myself since it couldn't get any better than that, could it? Well, as it happened, it did. A whole lot better!
The Warbler had dived back into the grass again but because we were stood on the bank above the river and looking down on the bird, we got sporadic glimpses of it as it tracked through the grass. Occasionally it would fly quickly from one spot to another but only moved a few yards. Two hours after we first saw the bird, it flew up and landed in the grass just a few feet away from where Mrs Caley and I stood. Of the few folk left watching, nobody except ourselves and a newly met friend, Nick P, saw it since they were all concentrating on a small bush where the Warbler had been known to favour.
The Aquatic Warbler was creeping through the vegetation towards us. We stood with bated breath, urging it to show itself fully. And incredibly it did just that, popping up to perch right in the open. I took some hurried shots as the bird remained motionless, merely turning around slowly as if to survey the area and to see what all the fuss was about.
To my complete amazement, the supposedly elusive skulker, stayed on the same grass stem for another thirty seconds or so. We were attempting to get the attention of any of the other birders within earshot while not taking our collective eyes, and my camera, off the bird. Apart from one chap who I remember spent the whole time that the bird was on view shouting, "Where is it, I can't see it!" despite our constant directions, none of the others had responded. The Warbler put on a great show, and I got some of my finest photos of a rare bird ever.
It definitely couldn't get any better than that last show so we decided to leave, extremely grateful and happy that we'd nailed a previously "impossible" bird. The thrill of seeing our first Aquatic Warbler wouldn't ever be forgotten!
Year List addition;
289) Aquatic Warbler
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