Marsh Warbler

Marsh Warblers seem to be pretty common here. During an evening stroll around Amager Fjaelled (Amager Common) last night, I came across at least 6 singing males. They look very much like washed out Reed Warblers, lacking the rufous tones of their reed-dwelling cousins. The habitat was dampish scrub - one could almost say marsh - hence the name Marsh Warbler I guess! Although one sneaky individual was pretending to be a Reed Warbler by singing from a small reedbed but I had him sussed. They have a great song - it includes mimics of many species and listening to one for a few minutes it is fun to try to count how many other birds' songs and calls are included. I counted about 15 inlcuding House Sparrow, Lapwing, Swallow, Greenfinch, Magpie and Reed Bunting - quite a mix - before I began getting eaten alive by the resident mozzies.

The evening amble also produced a few THRUSH NIGHTINGALES. Their song is very loud, like a Nightingale, but not so beautiful (more like a series of clicks and whistles). Like Nightingales they are a b***** to see but I did manage brief glimpses of one last night, enough to see the lack of warm reddish brown on the back/rump and also the spotted undertail coverts. Danish total now stands at 139.