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| The rare warbler - a songster which mimics other species |
A RARE bird first spotted yesterday morning has been since been attracting a stream of curious twitchers to a flooded former claypit at Barton-on-Humber.
The Blyth's reed warbler is a rare vagrant in western Europe, and only a handful have been seen in Lincolnshire - the last one at Gibraltar Point in September, 2006.
About the size of a robin, it is thought to have been blown here by recent easterlies from one of the countries on the other side of Europe.
It was detected by Barton ornithologist Graham Catley - the 300th bird species he has seen in Lincolnshire.
In a blog on his surprise sighting, he says he was alerted by what, at first, he thought was a blackcap (a common warbler) singing some "very odd notes" from a large weeping willow.
Graham feared that a passing forklift truck might spook the bird, but it stayed put, and he was able to verify its identification by both watching and listening.
In its song, it frequently mimics other birds, and the Barton man says he was able to detect snatches of chaffinch, great tit, swallow, bee-eater, quail and various other warblers.
Twitchers are said to have been observing social-distancing as they seek to glimpse the bird which is often proving elusive as it has a habit of skulking within the reeds.
The species is named after the London-born zoologist Edward Blyth (1810-73) - pictured below.
Known as "the father of Indian ornithology", Blyth spent much of his life as a curator of zoology at a museum in Calcutta.
Poorly paid, he eked out his income by pursuing a practice which would be illegal today - trading animals and birds from India and Britain between wealthy collectors in both countries.
Blyth's reed warbler is a migratory bird which spends winter in India, Sri Lanka and other parts of Asia.
It is not known how long it will stay at its current site - known as Target pit - in Barton.
More information about the bird can be seen on Graham's blog: pewit.blogspot.com/2020/06/blyths
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| One of the flooded claypits at Barton-on-Humber |
* Top photo: J.M. Garg via Wikimedia Commons
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