Unexpected

Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca)

Recent sunny mornings have found us perched on the mound that runs along one edge of our property, gazing out across the crop field on the far side of the track out to the main road. There's a reservoir and a small reedbed in that direction, and we've been keeping an eye out for migrants that might be attracted to the two. Between our place and the reservoir, there's an old hedge, with gorse and hawthorn bushes interspersed with a few maples and elders. A few weeks ago, we heard a Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca) singing from that hedgerow. He cycled back and forth from the reservoir end to the bigger oaks at the hedgerow's near end, always stopping just outside our property. That was true until one day earlier this month, when he was suddenly singing from a dead branch in the wiggly willow tree right in the middle of our garden. (He's in that tree in the photo above). He hung around for a week or so, trying to attract a mate, before apparently moving on. We haven't heard him lately.

Lesser Whitethroats are widespread summer breeders here in Britain, arriving in April and staying through September. The RSPB estimates that there are 74,000 breeding pairs across the UK. They're found across much of Eurasia, spread across habitats ranging from woodland, farmland and grassland to urban and suburban areas. They prefer scrubby areas with plenty of dense cover, particularly thorny trees and shrubs. They're generally skulkers, spending most of their time lurking in the heart of dense bushes. Fortunately, hormones are a wonderful thing, and males trying to set up territories are often (as we saw) a lot showier. When they leave us in the autumn, they head to Africa, Arabia and India for the winter.

Lesser Whitethroats look a bit like smaller, less colourful versions of the Common Whitethroat. Both males and females are greyish-brown above and creamy-grey below, lacking the rufous wings and pinkish chests of their larger cousins. Their heads are grey with darker grey on the cheek, giving them a somewhat "masked" appearance — perhaps appropriate in these days of Covid-19! Their legs are also grey (just about visible in the photo above) rather than pale pinkish, and their white outer tail feathers can be eye-catching when they fly. In spring and summer, they're primarily insectivorous; in autumn, they add berries to their diet to build up their fat reserves. To hear what our bird sounded like, click on the link below; his song is the sporadic short rattle heard five times in the recording.
 

Megan Edwards Crewe · Lesser Whitethroat