Paddyfield Warbler at Torness

This unusual visitor was discovered at Torness Power Station on October 13th, and at the time of posting (October 23rd) is still there. The bird was discovered by Dave Allan and initially it was through to be one of Booted, Sykes or Olivaceous Warbler because the tail shape appeared square (a characteristic of the Hippolais genus of warblers, to which these all belong). Its true identity was only discovered after trapping, when the tail feathers were found to be abraded. My first view of this bird was a week ago, and I couldn't have said at that point that I could have told it apart from any other warbler. Views were fleeting and it always seemed to stick to the back of the bushes. This may have been because of the number of birders present, and perhaps because some  tried to approach too close.

I returned on October 23rd in pretty poor weather and was immediately rewarded with excellent views, good enough this time to photograph the bird as well. The worn tail feathers are quite evident in the photograph above. Although much quieter, ten days after its arrival birdwatchers were still arriving from all over the UK to catch a glimpse of this bird! Paddyfield warblers are native to southern Asia and parts of the Middle East, and are very rare vagrants to Britain. They share similar habitats to Reed Warblers - This bird was the first to be identified on mainland Scotland although the species has previously been seen in Shetland.

This rather drenched male stonechat (above) was photographed from the car on the way home!

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