Birds Around Me 0142 - Reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus)

The first time ever, I lost patience with the birds. Yes, you heard me right, patience is the what defines bird watching and especially photographing birds in the wild. Eurasian Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) gave me a headache yesterday evening at Stocker's Lake, Rickmansworth, UK. I could hear 3-4 birds chirping in the reeds around me, for almost 45 minutes I couldn't see, I could see reeds moving but not the bird. Then I suddenly saw one deep in the reed, but didn't have the right camera setting and clicked in a burst and it was gone in a second. The results were nothing, but black images and I was back to square one.

Frustrated, impatient, I gave up, sworn at my stupidity, and started heading back home. Still could hear them, and then as out of magic, a couple of them decided to show up, I was at wrong position to capture them, the focus of my lens was a problem but got sufficient time to click few pictures. Lesson learned - give them time, they will give you enough time in return.

Reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus)
Stocker's Lake, Rickmansworth, UK
July 2020

Reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) is a plain, light brown above and buff below, with a pale throat and a short, pale stripe in front of the eye. I really find warblers difficult to identify, but this one was easy as their location and chirping song/call (churring) is a bit different from Chiffchaff and tits all around me.

A very plain warbler, usually seen singing from near the tip of reed stems of flying quickly across channels between reeds. They are common visitors to the U.K. from Africa, they spend winters in tropical Africa. A frequent host of the Cuckoo. Strongly associated with reeds, whether in large reedbeds or bands of reeds fringing rivers, lakes and gravel pits. (src: RSPB)

Often confused with Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler, separated by them by larger size, longer, heavier bill and loack of any yellow in plumage. They are uniformly brown warbler and mainly recognised by habitat - reeds.

-- Ashutosh Jhureley @BirdsAroundMe

My unfinished List of Birds (पक्षियों की अपूर्ण सूची): https://birds.rekabira.in/p/this-is-list-of-birds-i-clicked-since.html