I've struggled to find any wood warblers this year, and my regular site in the Wyre Forest appears empty, with almost all birders reporting no sightings. So, on Friday night it was good to agree with @kev07713 to visit a site near Corby where an individual had been singing and showing well for a number of days. This male wood warbler had been found in Harry's Park Wood which is an interesting piece of woodland between Corby and Oundle.
It is an interesting forest writes Marian Pipe, a historian, as Robin Hood once had a narrow escape in Rockingham Forest. According to Marian in her book, in part of Rockingham Forest, Harry's Park Wood, there is the Bocase Stone, which is near Brigstock. "It marks the site of an ancient oak tree, which was blown down in a gale in the 17th century". On the path bisecting Bocase Farm and Harry’s Park Wood is a rectangular limestone slab, leaning backwards at 30° and inscribed at the top, in crude capital letters, “In this plaes grew Bocase tree”. The Bocase tree, believed to have been a large hollow oak, stood on the edge of a clearing in Rockingham Forest, marking the intersection of parish boundaries.
This location is steeped in folklore and tales. One story tells of a fairy princess who enchanted an elderly man, temporarily restoring his youth. Other legends suggest that this site was where Saxons gathered to "read out the Bocas Calendar" or where foresters and archers met for practice. The most popular legend, however, claims that Robin Hood used this tree to conceal his famous bow and arrows to evade capture. Who knew!
We would plan to make more of the day, but this would be our first stop, ignoring breakfast to get there early. We parked in the narrow lane and met another birder coming the other way who confirmed the presence and ongoing performance of the wood warbler. We walked down the footpath and even before reaching the left turn, we could hear our bird calling. We entered the trees to find two birders already in position and joined them in enjoying our bird flitting from perch to perch, singing almost constantly. We've never seen a wood warbler quite like it, so confiding and unconcerned in our presence. We snapped photos and Kev took some video on his phone, the bird so close that the magnification of a large lens or scope wasn't required - the sound was terrific.
The wood warbler is a migratory songbird known for its distinctive trilling song and bright plumage; the trilling notes are often described as sounding like a spinning coin. They prefer deciduous woodlands with a good ground cover of brambles and other shrubs where they forage in and within the canopy above, for insects and spiders. Having wintered in Africa, they return to the UK in late April and early May. Unfortunately, this bird is unlikely to encounter a mate in this wood.
Eventually we thought we should leave the bird in peace and made our way back to the car, making sure we avoided any outlaws looking to rob us on the way. As we made our way out of the wood and onto the lane we came across a lovely lesser whitethroat, blackcap and a garden warbler – we noted how good a little spot this is. We wondered if it is birded regularly - presumably someone visits given they picked up the wood warbler.
Looking at where we were, we decided that we'd make our way to a site in Bedfordshire where we were likely to be able to see turtle doves - we hadn't seen or heard of any reports, but the site is generally not publicised and so that wasn't a surprise. We remembered where to park and were soon on the spot where we'd watched from last year. We listened and scanned but couldn't locate our quarry.
The population of turtle doves in the UK has dramatically declined over the past several decades. As of the latest estimates, there are only about 2,100 breeding pairs left, which marks a 98% decrease since the 1970s when there were approximately 125,000 pairs. Despite efforts, the turtle dove remains one of the fastest declining bird species in the UK and it is always special to be able to see them.
Kev strolled along a track, listening for any sign and after a few minutes I followed having failed to find anything in the opposite direction. There were some trees ahead that looked like they needed investigating - we listened, and I turned to look back up the track - a bird flew across between the two treelines that was just the right size, colour and flight. We finished checking ahead and turned back to investigate and soon had a view of a single bird, perched right behind two woodpigeons. We snapped a few photos just in time as one of the woodpigeons hopped directly at the dove, flushing it further along the treeline. We caught up, and passed, having great views of another confiding bird.
We spent a while admiring the bird and chatted briefly to three birders that sidled up, before the bird took to the wing and disappeared into a dense area of bushes. We'd had great views, and it was time to leave the bird in peace.
We stopped for some breakfast and planned for our next target - the great reed warbler had been reported again at RSPB Ouse Fen and so we travelled to the car park we'd been to for the singing little crake last year. We stopped for a coffee before realising we were on the opposite side of the site from where the bird was. We drove round and parked in a much better car park. We set out and met a few birders coming the other way who confirmed the bird was there and showing.
The great reed warbler, typically found in mainland Europe and Asia, is occasionally spotted in the UK, although it is a rare visitor. It is one of the largest warblers, measuring about 19-20 cm in length. This would be our third of this species, our first being at Langford Lowfields RSPB in 2022 and another at RSPB Ham Wall in 2023. Ouse Fen is known for its extensive reed beds, providing an ideal habitat for the bird during its migration.
We joined a dozen or so people waiting for a view - the bird having disappeared from view. A few part calls confirmed the bird was out in front of us, but it took a good 20 minutes before we saw it perch at the far side of the front area of reeds. A tick and views but partly obscured for a record shot. We waited after the bird dropped from view and went awol for another 15 minutes or so. It popped up again, further left but still very much on the back side of the front reeds. Again, it dropped from view.
Now we heard the bird again but this time on the front of the back reeds and in better view.
At the Ouse Fen RSPB Reserve, the bittern population is doing remarkably well. The reserve has recorded up to 12 booming male bitterns, indicating a strong presence of this secretive bird in the area. This success is part of a broader conservation effort that has seen bittern numbers rise significantly across the UK, with 228 booming males counted during the last breeding season. We saw long flights from distant bitterns as we waited for the warbler, until one and then two birds circled out in front of us. Another bird flew across and so we were sure we had three separate birds.
We returned to the car and looked across the water on the other side of the car park seeing Egyptian geese, redshanks, lots of hirundines, amongst others. A Cetti's warbler called but refused to show. A couple of hares cavorted to our left, one appeared to think it was hiding behind the grass, but it was effectively out in the open.
Considering the number of hirundines we were surprised not to see any hobbies across the reed beds. A cuckoo called over the fields behind.
It had been a long day, we'd covered a bit of distance around multiple sites, and so it was time to head home after a successful day's birding.
Year list: 208.
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