Meet the Animals
Reed warbler
Where & when to see them
- Seen during the months of April to October, reed warblers are common in the lowlands of central and southern England and Wales, particularly in East Anglia and the south coast.
- Reed warblers can be found in in reedbeds and dense vegetation near water.
Amongst the reedbeds at Pensthorpe we have a reed warbler nest. The parents are incubating five eggs. But when will they hatch?
Missed something? Keep up to date with the reed warbler story here.
Species information
The warm brown plumage and pale underside does little to distinguish the reed warbler from other warblers. You're more likely to hear a reed warbler's very repetitive and harsh 'churring' song than actually see the bird.
Reed warblers winter in Africa visiting the UK in summer to breed. As the name suggests, they live in reed beds and dense wetland vegetation where nests of grass are built around stems. They are a very common victim of the cuckoo.
They are experts at holding onto vertical stems while looking for insects amongst the dense vegetation. Feeding parents then use spots on the tongue of the young as a guide for this food.
How to help
How about joining your local RSPB group to find out more about, and help with the conservation of, the reed warbler? You can also help the BTO record bird migration and distribution throughout the UK with BirdTrack.
Latest Updates
Friday 12th June
These chicks will soon be big and strong if they're being fed giant damsel flies like this one.
Thursday 11th June
With the final egg hatching we now know there are five chicks in this nest. Both parents are feeding and sheltering them well.
The enhanced version of the site requires the Flash 8 plugin (or higher) to be installed and JavaScript to be enabled on your browser. To find out how to install a Flash plugin, go to the WebWise Flash install guide.
Tuesday 9th June
Watch the reed warbler chicks hatch out of their eggs. Luckily for us these cuties have put in an appearance for Springwatch this year.
Monday 8th June
Welcome little chicks! On Saturday three eggs hatched. Plus one more makes four chicks.
Friday 5th June
This is our reed warbler nest, the mother is sitting on five shiny eggs. We are hoping they will hatch live on our webcams.
Key links
-
Pensthorpe Nature Reserve & Gardens
Host of Springwatch 2009. -
Your reed warbler pictures
Slideshow of your amazing reed warbler pictures in the Flickr group.
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~16~RS~){kind=small}