Yellow-browed Warbler
Phylloscopus inoratus. A rather poor record shot, but you can just see the diagnostic double wing-bars and yellow eyebrow. They breed in Siberia from the Ural Mountains eastwards and winter in south-east Asia. They used to be quite scarce visitors to Britain, but their numbers have increased dramatically during the last forty years. This pattern has also been recorded across northern and western Europe. There has been much speculation about the cause of their increase in Europe, with some suggesting that they are evolving a new migration route and wintering grounds. The last few years have seen a bit of a dip in numbers, but this year many hundreds arrived in Britain during late September. Most records have been on the east coast with very few inland. I photographed this one inland at Rowntree Park in the centre of York. When I arrived, the bird wasn’t in the location reported so I checked out some woodland nearby and heard it calling. The disyllabic call is quite distinctive xeno-canto.org/935200. It was flitting about in the canopy and only briefly came down to some lower branches where it was still difficult to follow and photograph. Even though it’s a poor shot I thought I’d post it as it’s one of my favourite warblers and a great bird to see in York.
Yellow-browed Warbler
Phylloscopus inoratus. A rather poor record shot, but you can just see the diagnostic double wing-bars and yellow eyebrow. They breed in Siberia from the Ural Mountains eastwards and winter in south-east Asia. They used to be quite scarce visitors to Britain, but their numbers have increased dramatically during the last forty years. This pattern has also been recorded across northern and western Europe. There has been much speculation about the cause of their increase in Europe, with some suggesting that they are evolving a new migration route and wintering grounds. The last few years have seen a bit of a dip in numbers, but this year many hundreds arrived in Britain during late September. Most records have been on the east coast with very few inland. I photographed this one inland at Rowntree Park in the centre of York. When I arrived, the bird wasn’t in the location reported so I checked out some woodland nearby and heard it calling. The disyllabic call is quite distinctive xeno-canto.org/935200. It was flitting about in the canopy and only briefly came down to some lower branches where it was still difficult to follow and photograph. Even though it’s a poor shot I thought I’d post it as it’s one of my favourite warblers and a great bird to see in York.