Yellow Warbler is one of those birds I really wanted to see in the UK. Theres only been 7 UK records since the first one on Bardsey Island in 1964. The majority have been short stayers on the northern isles. Many of my birding mates got the Barra bird in 2004 or the Shetland bird in the following year. There was a single day bird at Portland in 2017 and a long staying bird in Hoswick, Shetland last year - at the time I was supposed to be on Fetlar but couldn't make it as I'd knackered my knee up on Fair Isle a few weeks previously.
Roll on Christmas Eve 2024 when news broke of a seemingly overwintering bird in Hythe, Kent. Literally a short walk away from where I saw the UK's only Golden-winged Warbler in 1989! It was to late for me to get there that day and Christmas Day and Boxing Day are sacrosanct family days. I'd been on antibiotics on the lead up to Christmas with 'walking pneumonia' and was still feeling breathless and slightly feverish. I decided that I'd go on news on 27th December as the bird had been showing around 08.00 so I'd have had just enough time to get there if the news broke early enough.
As it happened I couldn't sleep and was awake at 5 am so decided to slip out the house quietly and head down to Kent. I fully expected to get there just after 9 armed with the news the bird had been showing. I even debated stopping at Beaconsfield services and waiting on news but decided to press on despite the negative news from site where Steve Stansfield had relayed the news to Chris.
Arriving on site, and finding a parking spot in the car park easily, there was still no news as I headed down the footpath to the designated spot opposite the sewage works at Ham Hill. Not the most salubrious spot but obviously well liked by the Chiffchaffs, Firecrest and Goldcrests that hunted for insects in the canal side vegetation.
Meeting up with Steve we discussed the possibility that the bird had either gone or succumbed. I couldn't believe it had gone as there was overnight mist and it was still gloomy when I arrived - in fact the mist didn't lift all day. The presence of a Sparrowhawk sitting in the Yellow Warblers preferred territory, on several occsasions, filled us not a little pessimism.
The time slipped by and my enthusiasm was waning but this is the time of year when old friends aren't forgotten so chatting with Steve, Colin Green, John Hague (of Shrike Birding Tours), Paul Baker, Kieran Foster and Paul Wren helped keep me on site as we reminisced about past birding glories.
People were departing, some had been theres since dawn, whilst others wandered off in search of something to eat. Suddenly there was a shout that it had been seen further down the footpath. Steve had wandered off so I rang him only to find he was watching it and he had actually picked it up on call. I managed a brief glimpse before it disappeared back into the brambles calling all the time. Reasoning it was heading back to its preferred stand of Alders I headed back just in time for it to fly in and spend the next 10 minute feeding and calling before eventually flying off towards the back of the sewage works.
It was an eyeball searingly yellow and certainly lived up to its name. The call was a distinctive 'chip. chip, chip' delivered almost continuously whilst it was on show.
Waiting around for another 30 minutes or so I decided that I'd head for home. Reports were coming in that the traffic was horrendous and it certainly was. An accident by Heathrow meant my preferred route around the M25 and up the M40 was closed so the sat nave diverted me over the horrendous mess thats the Dartford Crossing and up the M1 where another accident meant all traffic was held for an hour.
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