The Third Ladybird Book of British Birds – #6 The Reed Warbler

I’ve just picked up the third volume of the Ladybird Book of British Birds and their nests from the 1950s again.

Today I turn to the page on Reed Warblers.

“The Reed Warbler also comes to England from Africa for the summer months. It is much less common than the Sedge Warbler, because it likes reed-beds and osier-beds near water..”

England? I wonder if there’s a Scotland version of these Ladybird books too? Reed Warblers do just about breed in Scotland, but only just, especially since the border between Scotland and England was moved.

The illustrations by Roland Green capture the essence of the bird:

I managed to catch some clear shots of Reed Warblers in South Devon last year:

Reed Warblers like malfunctioning robots

And then, I amazed myself by finding a nest, fixing a tiny remote camera nearby and filming it remotely without disturbing the chicks or parents:

Reed Warblers

I took many short videos which I’m looking forward to viewing again, especially since they’re in 4K video and it’s possible to identify some of the insect prey items being fed to the chicks.

“You will need waders if you are going to look for a Reed Warbler’s nest, because it likes to build this among reeds actually growing out of the water.”

Thankfully I only got very wet and dirty boots this time. If I manage to spot them again this year, you’ll be the first to know. Maybe I should order some waders now, just in case.

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