What a day I had yesterday! At 11.00 I was surveying butterflies at Raw Nook Nr when I heard a brief song of a Arco warbler coming from deep inside a thicket of Rosebay Willowherb and bramble. I knew there are no Sedge or Reed on site in fact I have never recorded the latter. The bird sang briefly again and I quickly ruled out Sedge. I had a half second view as it climbed through the vegetation and glimpsed an unstreaked greyish brown upperparts. I waited a further 2 frustrating hours wishing it would sing just a bit longer to get a positive ID but the bird must have been disturbed as I never heard or saw it again. The bird was probably a Reed but I find it interesting why would a non-breeding Reed be passing through so late in the season? I had a similar experience about 20 years ago with a Reed/Marsh in late June and within it’s song was alot of mimicry but because the bird was not seen and Reed also use mimicry the bird just like this one was put into the ‘ One that got away drawer…..)
Anyway back to the butterflies….The Ringlet is doing really well at the moment and a record count of 94 were at Raw Nook Nr. Also at the site was a female Common Darter enjoying the sunshine, female Blackcap busy feeding young and at least one mating pair of Narrow-bordered Five -spot Burnet moth.
Narrow-bordered Five -spot Burnet moth
