There are times when we’re out with clients and encounter a species that’s really unexpected, other times a bird or animal will do something really impressive and sometimes, just sometimes, it’s the often overlooked ‘little brown jobs’ that are the stars of the show.<\/p>\n
I collected Stephen from home in North Shields and headed north to collect Gordon and Mandy, and Susan for her second day out with me.\u00a0 In weather that didn’t seem sure what it was going to do, we were soon watching a stunning Yellow Wagtail<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 As House Martins, Sand Martins, Swallows <\/strong><\/em>and <\/strong>Swifts<\/strong><\/em> hawked insects just over our heads a singing Sedge Warbler<\/strong><\/em> was located at the top of a dead tree, and one of his near neighbours was busy answering the challenge laid down.\u00a0 For over an hour everything we watched was accompanied by the frenetic warbling of this little bundle of energy; first he perched half way up a reedbed, then hopped higher to take a position on reeds that were so thin they swayed under his weight before beginning a series of song-flights, culminating in a dive into deep cover…then he started the whole process again.\u00a0 Often we see Sedge Warblers<\/strong><\/em> as they flit from one reedbed to another, but this bird was going flat out – either trying to attract a mate, or warning his neighbours that the reedbed and its immediate surroundings was his domain.\u00a0 Little Grebes, Coots, Moorhens, Mallards, Tufted Ducks <\/strong><\/em>and <\/strong>Greylag Geese<\/strong><\/em> were all staring nervously at one edge of the reeds, but the cause of their concern didn’t reveal itself.<\/p>\n