Barred 1 Booted 0

Well what a day. I spent 5 hours this morning staring at a patch of ragwort and peering into impenetrable bushes, on Hadston Links, seeing several dunnocks, blue tits and willow warblers, but yesterdays Booted Warbler had clearly been booted too far and was not on show today.  Disappointed at missing an excellent county bird I came home with little hope of salvaging anything from the day, other than some good crack with the lads.

After a late breakfast, we took Bunty for a wander, noting how quiet things were and thinking to myself that the village willows looked nice for a wryneck. On our return we walked past our neighbours garden where half a dozen House Sparrows were on her finely manicured lawn, below her bird bath, when I had to do a double take. Sitting with the spuggies was an altogether bigger bird, paler and 'different looking'. Through the bins, my milisecond view registered 'Barred Warbler' before it flipped up and into our garden hedge next to the bedroom window!

Now after last years brief sighting of Barred, I thought that people are going to give me such a stringing tag for this, so I went for a slow look around the garden.

No sign.

Then Jane came out waving for me to come inside. The bird had been sitting about two feet from our bedroom window! I crept through, but, it had gone. I waited half an hour with no further sightings when we had to leave to visit my sister.

Fast forward to 6pm. We came home and I didnt hold out much hope, but ever the optimist Jane went and looked from the bedroom and came back to say, it was still there! Now, my neighbours garden was busy with chatting people so I thought surely not, it must just be the local spuggies, the Barred must be long gone.

I waited for a few minutes when - bang - there it was in the open, four feet away through the window, a tremendous juvvy Barred Warbler!! It flew back and forth along the hedge giving glances before sitting up in the back hedge near the sparrow flock. What a cracker, the best view of my third garden record of Barred Warbler in four years...

As you know my photo skills are not the best and through a small cottage window this is bound to be a disaster but here goes...

A snatched shot as it blundered into the hedge.

  

Sunning in the hedge

Barred Warbler.

This makes Barred Warbler commoner than Garden Warbler in my garden!

Oh I'm sorry, it cant be seen from public areas so there is no opportunity for a twitch.