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A Bluethroat sang



A male White-spotted Bluethroat has returned to Slimbridge for a rather astonishing third summer. Up to very recently it has been incredibly elusive with reports of birders making multiple visits and spending many hours dipping it. I have seen a few Bluethroats in the UK and have had excellent close views and good photos so I had zero motivation to go and see it. In the last week or so, however, it has had a remarkable change of character and has been showing well for extended periods and singing.


I hence arrived at an almost empty Slimbridge car park just after 08:00 yesterday and made my way to the members only entrance which opens at 08:15. I went straight to the Shepard’s hut at the end of the summer walkway. After a short wait the Bluethroat appeared on a fence post some distance from the hut and started to sing. This set the tone for the whole day with it making regular appearances on two somewhat distant twig perches at the back end of the reed bed and on the fence post either side of the hut while always keeping a safe distance from us.

 

There are two subspecies of Bluethroat that appear as passage vagrants to the UK, namely the Red-spotted and White-spotted this being descriptive of a prominent spot on their throat. My previous birds in the UK have all been Red-spotted so this was my first encounter with the Blue-spotted sub species. Genetic testing has shown that the two are extremely closely related justifying their classification as a single species. It was formerly classified in the Thrush family but is now normally considered to be an old world flycatcher. It is a small robin-like bird with the male being unmistakable in spring with its  bright blue throat, bordered below with bands of black, white and chestnut and its white or red central throat spot. Excluding the UK, It is a widespread breeder in Europe which winters in Southeast Asia.

 

The change in character from elusive to show-off of the Slimbridge bird is quite remarkable and has led some observes to wonder if  a female has arrived, a reason he would be vigorously defending his territory. This would not be easy to prove as the females are notoriously  elusive.

 

I spent the morning and most of the afternoon in the hide hoping it would sing from the fence posts right in front of the hide but it was not to be, possibly because the disturbance was too great. The Bluethroat stuck an elegant pose while singing from its favourite perches with its tail cocked and its bright blue chest pumped out making the white spot completely disappear in a blaze of ultramarine feathers.

 





It never ceases to amaze me how loud some people will be in hides or while trying to watch birds. One chap was ironically telling whoever would listen that he was hoping for a close photograph at the top of his voice despite notices up saying be quiet and stay still if you want to see the Bluethroat. This eventually wound up one birder present so much that he pointed out to a loud group that there really was no chance of the bird coming close unless they kept quiet.

 

At lunch time I popped into the photograph friendly Rushy hide to see if the Black-winged Stilt was showing. I’m glad I did as it was right Infront of the hide affording the very best views I have had of this bird in the UK.

 







A better Bluethroat pic taken a few years back in Lincolnshire

As is often the case, sightings of the Bluethroat diminished after lunch but I stuck it out to 17:00 when the summer walkway closes and returned to my car for the short 25 mile drive home.


Footnote – my blogs are posted with sometimes rather imaginative spelling and grammar due to my extreme dyslexia!    



 

 

 

 


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