Birdwatching: The great reed warblers seen around county
The great reed warbler is a bird that lives up to its name, and two recent sightings in the region, at Hornsea Mere and last week at The Fairburn Ings reserve near Castleford, have given birders the chance to confirm this.
This is one of the largest warblers, almost as large as a song thrush, and it clambers around the reeds much more clumsily than its smaller cousin, the reed warbler. Often, the reed tops shake as it clambers about, betraying its presence.
A glimpse of it the the middle of the reeds reveals a rufous brown bird above, buff below and with a whitish throat and large bill,
But it is the male great reed warbler's extraordinary song, like that of a reed warbler on steroids, that is its most striking feature.
The song is powerful and rhythmic, but also with croaking and grinding sounds with high and low notes juxtaposed.
It may not be pleasing to the human ear, but it is very important to a female great reed warbler who will select a male based on the best repertoire.
The song quality is so important that researchers have recently discovered that males continue to sing a mate attraction song, rather than a territorial one, even in their wintering areas in sub-Saharan Africa.
In this way, the males are ready to sing their best songs the following Spring and wow their females with some well-practised tunes.
Great reed warblers are rare, but they are annual vagrants to this country, and although at the moment there is little chance of one finding a mate here, there might be the prospect of colonisation of southern England in future Springs.
A few waders were reported, the first of many that will be seen in the coming weeks as the autumn passage gets underway.
Spotted redshanks were also seen at the Goole RSPB nature reserve at Blacktoft Sands, and a Curlew sandpiper at Kilnsea, on the Humber Estuary.