Spent a couple of hours at Marston this afternoon, refound the Cetti's in the same spot (sorry Dave) at the east end of the reedbed, its hyper-elusive and will probably only show on a still day and with saint-like patience, all I managed today were a couple of flight-views. For those Grantham birders not familiar with the species' calls (I have yet to hear this bird sing so it may be a female) I managed to get a poor quality sound recording using my digital camera (left the sennheiser at home!). The bird makes a
twick contact call at fairly regular intervals (almost with the quality of Grey Wagtail) and occassionaly males an alarm-call which is rather Wren-like albeit a louder and more liquid
chick-chick-chtick. The bird calls several times on the video -
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=x4nmLRE9FZ8 at e.g. 11, 14, 17 and 30 seconds with the last perhaps the best audio resolution. A couple of Chiffchaffs around the reedbed too and more Water Rails than you can shake a stick at.
Of marginal interest I had a Red Kite over Stamford yesterday and any local larophiles might want to check out Cotham Tip, Notts - the gulls were loafing on fields on Bennington Fen yesterday i.e. in Lincs. I found a juvenile Glaucous Gull here on the 27th November (which has been present intermittently since) and had a juv. Iceland Gull on the 1st December - images at
http://www.freewebs.com/punkbirder/latestsightings.htm .
cheers
Alex
_________________
Dr Alexander C. Lees
Lecturer in tropical ecologyManchester Metropolitan University
Lab Associate
Cornell Lab of Ornithology,
Cornell University
http://www.freewebs.com/alexlees/index.htm@Alexander_Lees
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