New Hythe 24/12/24

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At home this morning entering WeBS data on the laptop when the phone pinged and I found myself looking at a message from Glenn Honey enquiring about the identity of a bird he'd just photographed at New Hythe. The bird was an American Yellow Warbler no less, which he'd found along the mill stream at the site. Needless to say I was in the car within ten minutes heading to New Hythe.

I parked near the sewage farm and walked to where about ten birders were looking for the warbler. It hadn't been seen since the original sighting but fortunately a short time later the bird was found in alder trees near the sewage farm. It then remained in the area though was very mobile, flycatching from tree to tree. It was mild and sunny that day so favourable conditions for insectivorous birds, the proximity of the sewage farm being another factor. There were also numerous Chiffchaffs in the area, some often seen off by the Yellow Warbler as it defended the territory. 

By mid afternoon the crowd of birders had increased to over 100, enjoying a very welcome early Christmas present. I left at about 2:30 happy with the views obtained.

This was only the tenth record of the species in the UK.

American Yellow Warbler 





The bird was in the alders on the left.


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