MARSH WARBLER

Everyone knows that Starlings and Song Thrushes mix mimicry with their songs. But the real king of the mimics among ‘British’ birds is the Marsh Warbler. The song is incredibly rich and beautiful and jammed with bird songs and calls picked up during the bird’s travels through Europe and Africa. Some of the birds you will recognise, others will be mysteries. But, whatever you hear will be just about indistinguishable from the real thing. Marsh Warblers are very similar in appearance to Reed Warblers, but the song should be enough to identify the bird. The only problem is that they are very rare breeding birds in the UK, with fewer than 10 pairs, mainly confined to Worcestershire and Kent. Unlike Reed Warblers, they are not tied directly to reedbeds, often singing in bushes and rank vegetation near water.