At the start of this year, I wrote down a list of birds that I had yet to see. Birds that I most wanted to see and could target for my life list this year. Birds that I'd travel a long way to see, within reason anyway. A few of those birds were Warblers, and Arctic Warbler was very near the top of that list. In nearly twenty-five years, the closest I'd ever got to an Arctic Warbler was staring at a fir tree in the Nanquidno Valley in Cornwall for a couple of hours. That bird hadn't shown itself despite being reported again just a few hours after I'd been there. Admittedly I was very much a fledgling birder in those days and my skills were rudimentary so there's a fair chance that I didn't see the bird because of my own shortcomings (and lack of decent kit).
We had travelled up to East Yorkshire, and to Bempton Cliffs, to twitch a Pale-legged Leaf Warbler, a species that was nowhere near that list of targets that I drew up since I'd never even heard of one. It is however, very closely related to an Arctic Warbler (and interestingly was initially identified as one) and very similar in appearance. The story of two twitches to see that bird, a mega rare in every sense is blogged up here. Naturally with such an event, Bempton Cliffs was heaving with twitchers and hectic to say the least so when we'd seen the bird we left and drove down to Spurn where, by luck would have it, an Arctic Warbler had been found.
Incredibly, considering how famous and popular Spurn is as a birding hotspot, I'd only ever been there once before, to twitch another phylloscopus Warbler, a Two-barred Greenish Warbler in October 2021 (read here), which is also closely related to the Arctic variety. The Two-barred Greenish Warbler (I've now seen two of them) is the much rarer cousin of the far less rare Greenish Warbler, which frustratingly I have never seen and is very much close to the top of my most wanted list. That bird had performed wonderfully well, just metres away from the Discovery Centre and carpark, and the Arctic Warbler had been reported as being in almost the exact same spot!
Parking was easy with it being mid-afternoon. I used the BirdGuides App to pinpoint where the Arctic Warbler had been seen, but noticed a couple of birders staring at a hedge in the bus turnaround space. So I asked them if they were watching the target bird. One of them told me that it had been showing at the top of the hedge that divided the bus park from the Discovery Centre but hadn't been seen for fifteen minutes. So we joined in the vigil but viewing was tricky directly into the sun. There was no sign of the Warbler anyway. I tried not to get that sinking feeling and remained positive that I'd get to see it. At least these days, I was fully aware of what an Arctic Warbler looked like so I'd know it if I saw it.
A tap on the shoulder and I turned to see my friend and fellow Oxfordshire birder, Andy and his partner. They were spending the weekend birding at Spurn. Andy told me that earlier, the Arctic Warbler had shown really well in a sycamore tree next to the old pillbox, the exact same tree that we'd seen the Two-barred Greenish Warbler three years before. We stood chatting for five minutes or so during which there was no sign of the Arctic Warbler. I decided that we may as well go and grab a coffee while we waited for the bird to show again. As we passed the other side of the hedge, I looked up and noticed some movement and then heard a Dipper-like "zhi" call. That call was repeated several times in quick succession. I knew it was the call of an Arctic Warbler because I'd checked it up when we'd stopped for a coffee after leaving Bempton Cliffs earlier. The bird popped out of the bush and I had my second lifer of the day and my 433rd bird seen in the UK.
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| Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis) |
I took a few more shots before nipping back around the corner and beckoning Andy over so that he could see it again. Over the next few minutes the Arctic Warbler bounded down the bank into bushes just metres away and I rattled off a load of shots. Not all captured the bird, it was pretty quick and nimble through the branches and always seemed to be a flit ahead of me as Phylloscopus Warblers often are. I got better at tracking the bird though and started getting nice shots.
The conditions for photography were in complete contrast to those earlier at Bempton when the subject, the Pale-legged Leaf Warbler, had always been underneath the trees and bushes and had kept to the shadows. The Arctic Warbler was searching for food on the outside branches of the bushes and was often in clear view and completely illuminated by warm sunshine.
It was also good to compare the two lifer birds that we'd seen. The Arctic Warbler was a plainer looking bird than the Pale-legged Leaf Warbler, much more greenish coloured with a yellowish supercilium, and more vividly pinkish-brown coloured legs. It felt very good to have finally seen an Arctic Warbler and to see one showing so well was an added bonus. On the day it pipped the much rarer bird for me, the quality of views swinging it in The Arctic Warbler's favour.
We retired to the cafe for that coffee when the Arctic Warbler disappeared. We contemplated on our day of two lifers and I laid down a vague plan of coming back up to Yorkshire should the Leaf Warbler remain at Bempton Cliffs for hopefully better views and some photos. I then proceeded to blot my copybook for the day by foolishly driving to Hull and dip a Hoopoe, when I could have gotten good views of a Pallid Harrier that was showing well at Kilnsea wetlands just a mile from away from the Arctic Warbler site. I then compounded my poor judgement by hotfooting it to Stamford Bridge where another Hoopoe had been for a couple of weeks but of which there was no sign either. At least going there led us to a really good chippy for a fine paper wrapped fish & chips!
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