On the wild side
Willow warbler
THE first of the summer birds to reach the UK are the cheerful little chiffchaffs.
These tiny, greenish birds are the true first sign of the season and their irritatingly cheerful “chiff, chaff” two-note call is one of the most recognisable of the British bird calls.
But what about other birds? Well shortly after the chiffchaffs come the willow warblers which are special because they are almost completely identical to the chiffchaff.
In some cases they are so similar that even experts can’t tell them apart.
The willow warbler, as I mentioned, is incredibly similar to their close relatives. They are tiny birds, measuring only about 11cm long and tipping the scales at somewhere between the weight of a £1 coin and a £2 coin.
These delicate creatures sport olive green to brown upper parts, and pale buffy to yellowish underparts.
They have a “giant eyebrow”, a brighter yellowish stripe above the eye. Aside from this the willow warblers usually have paler legs, ranging from pink to brown, while chiffchaffs usually have darker legs, ranging from brown to black, but there is so much overlap that people are often left stumped.
There is one way to tell them apart that is foolproof. Remember that song I mentioned? The chiffchaff just makes two sounds over and over. Chiff, chaff, chiff, chaff.
Thoroughly annoying. However the willow warbler? I have heard their song described as melodic, tuneful or mourning – no-one can quite get the mood right, but it’s a longer series, starting high pitched and ending lower pitched. Absolutely nothing like the chiffchaff.
So if they are singing, these cryptic critters can be told apart in an instant.
Willow warblers have collected a plethora of strange local names, and so many human names that one never stuck.
A few of my favourites are fell peggy, feather poke, ground Isaac, Sally picker, strawsmeer, Willie mufti and oven tit. Oven tit? We’ll get to that in a minute.
Willow warblers live in almost every inch of Great Britain and Ireland, and their favourite habitats are young, sparser forests (with willows, hence the name) where the trees are less than 20 years old, near water, with lots of brambles for ground cover.
They are tree-dwelling birds but they nest low to the ground deep in bramble hedges for protection. Sometimes these nests are almost partially underground.
They have a unique shape – domed with a little side opening, just like an old fashioned oven. Oven tit. That makes sense. Keep an eye out for these noisy chaps.