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Tuesday 25 April 2017

Days Gone By

Just seen on BirdGuides Here that there is a Savi's Warbler at Hickling Broad, Norfolk.

This is a bird I use to watch and listen to when I lived in Sutton back in 1984. Rush Hill was my local patch for almost 11 years, and the Savi's Warbler was a bird I thought was lost to the reed beds Here. So well pleased that it's back in the same area after all these years.

Very similar to a Grasshopper Warbler, the two main differences are that one it sits up higher in the reeds and its trill is more prolonged and bee like.

The information on BirdGuides was this "male still singing and showing occasionally at Heigham Corner from Weavers' Way 100m west of Rush Hill Scrape hide"

In the 80's I used to see it Here. I'm not sure if this is the area it has been seen and heard in today, but it can't be far off I'm sure.

Rush Hill Scrape is Here and the Hide located Here.

Video of Savi's Warbler Here

and

Audio Here

As I said before this was a spot I visited quite regularly and I used to watch Swallow-tailed Butterflies Here as well as Bearded Tits in the same area. The scrape has had some excellent waders and this area is also good for Marsh Harriers and Red-footed Falcons.

In the late 80's I was at RAF Coltishall close-by and was offered a job as a volunteer warden at Hickling Nature Reserve Herewhich is now run by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. The job entailed taking the public out in a boat and showing them the wildlife on Hickling Broad, but I was promoted to Sergeant and posted to RAF Cosford. Oh what might have been!