Barred Warblers are scarce migrants and almost always extremely difficult to see in the open, they skulk around in the undergrowth and if you’re lucky you get a split second view of it before it disappears again.
The one I found at Tresta today was no exception. A couple of vanishingly brief flight views as it moved through the dense vegetation had me 99% certain that is was a Barred but still had to eliminate Garden Warbler which I couldn’t do with complete certainty without better views.
Finally it settled… behind a leaf
Yes, it was a Barred W but I still wanted better views! Eventually, patience paid off as it moved into a slightly more open area and I managed decent (for a BW) views and in particular the chevron pattern on the under tail coverts which is the I.D. clincher.
That view is about as good as it gets, in most cases.
A couple of Winchats and ~10 juvenile Barn Swallows were the only other migrants worth noting.
Found 3 more Barred Warblers! Also a Hawfinch, Red-backed Shrike, 3 Winchat and lots of common migrants - Goldcrest, Siskin, Blackcap, etc. Also c120 Barnacle Geese was quite a spectacle.
Barred Warbler
Hawfinch
Red-backed Shrike
Around half of the flock of Barnacle Geese
I haven’t seen more than 3 Barnacle Geese together since I moved here!
It was just munching everything in sight, docken seeds, grass seeds, in fact almost anything in its path! But yeah, it’s just food stuck to the bill, I reckon it only arrived today so will be feeding like a bastard to build itself up before it moves on.
It did look a tired bird after the journey here, it landed 20’ away from me and was unconcerned with my presence and totally focused on feeding. They’re generally very skittish birds.
Tbh, I wouldn’t have bet tuppence on it surviving more than 24 hours. However, a week later and it’s still around, feeding vigorously and looking much healthier.
Also found a Common Rosefinch today - a scarce migrant.
