'Two Phones', Degsy & me were enjoying a nice cup of tea ( and choccie biscuits) on Hilbre and commenting on how good it looked for an Icterine Warbler. A phone goes. Its one of Steve's. He answers and immediately lets out an expletive. Shocked we wonder whats happened - we soon find out. Marc Hughes has found OUR Icterine Warbler on the Great Orme. B*gger! Plans were instantly hatched to get rid of the Orme. If it wasn't there the good birds that keep turning up there would probably end up on the Wirral. Turn it into cement and build a land fill site near Leasowe Lighthouse. Cap it and bingo an instant headland..........................
Plans were made for a quick raid across the border and Steve picked me up and drove over to where Marc kindly agreed to meet us. Within seconds we had our first glimpse of probably what will be the only Icterine Warbler in the N West this spring. Clambering up and around a hawthorn bush about 40 m from where we stood.
Meanwhile VidAl was holding his own back at the Lighthouse despite the rain making things a little damp. The old adage 'the biggie travels alone' was never so true as in this case. Both the Wirral and the Orme were virtually devoid of birds yet an Icterine turned up on its todd!
A fantastic reward for all the effort Marc puts in on the Orme!
3 comments :
Looks like a Mwlodious!
You sure thats an Icky?
Hmm. Think jury still might be out. To be honest I'm not sure anymore. Primary projection looked long in the field and BWP says exposed primaries in Ickie > 1/2 tertial length (which this appears to be). Also never seen Melodious with such distinct pale fringing to secondaries and tertials.
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