Wild Bird Wednesday 672 - Willow Warbler

The Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) is a common summer visitor to the UK with approximately 2 million pairs being arriving as part of the spring influx of warblers.  They start to arrive in the April and depart during October, with almost all of the population wintering in sub-Saharan Africa.

They are a member of the 'Leaf Warbler' group and look very similar to the closely related Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita).  In fact the best way to differentiate these two birds is by their call - which of course is a little difficult if you just rely on photographs! 

The Willow Warbler's song is a simple repetitive descending whistle, while the Chiffchaff has a simple distinctive song, a repetitive 'chiff-chaff, chiff-chaff'.

This bird calling from a prominent position in a Willow tree on the Ham Wall RSPB reserve in Somerset, UK.  Given the shape of the catkins I think the willow is a Goat Willow (Salix caprea) and these are the male catkins.  (The male and female catkins this species occur on separate trees.)

The Willow Warbler is a typical leaf warbler in appearance - meaning its greenish brown - and is quite small weighing between 7–15 g and being 11–12.5 cm long. 

These images just shout 'spring' and it was really rather lovely to experience this time of year again in the UK.

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