Sedge warbler

“ They come to England together, and together seek the same haunts. The only way to make them betray themselves is by throwing something among the reeds, when each of them will at once protest, sometimes scolding like a{213} whitethroat, sometimes breaking out into a bold, beautiful song. Each bird, too, occasionally forgets its shyness, and coming out from its retreat perches well in sight and fearlessly sings its loudest. But their nests are unmistakable; for while the sedge-warbler always builds upon some support, the reed-sparrow hangs its nest between supports, but never upon them. ”

“ The busy life that in the summer filled these interminable ditches has ebbed away. The green jungle of flags and water plants where the sedge warbler sang—not from dawn till nightfall only, but from sundown till the east was grey—is gone. The reeds among whose slender stems the warbler [Pg 185] wove her exquisite nest are beaten down. The peewits who reared their scanty broods among these open meadows are here still. Even the quails that hid their beautiful eggs among the summer clover may still be couching in the withered grass ”

“ The true warblers are chiefly Old World, visiting the southern Old World in winter, but members of the sub-family occur in New Zealand, Polynesia and Panama. Amongst the commonest in England is the well-known sedge-bird or sedge-warbler, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus, whose chattering song resounds in summer-time from almost every wet ditch in most parts of Britain. ”

“ As a rule, it is seldom, if ever, to be seen further north than Yorkshire and Lancashire, and does not breed either in Devon or Cornwall. It may thus be said to be almost confined to the eastern, midland, and south-eastern counties of England. Beyond the British Islands, too, it is less erratic in its movements than its congeners. The Sedge Warbler visits Scandinavia, Russia, and Siberia, and is found throughout Europe in summer, and in North Africa and Asia Minor in winter. The late Mr. Andersson sent specimens even from Damaraland, S.W. Africa. ”

“ They are 57 the only species of River-warblers that are known to visit England regularly every year; these two, the Sedge-warbler and the Reed-warbler, never fail, and the Sedge-warbler comes in very large numbers, but only a few specimens of other River-warblers have been found out in their venturesomeness. Still, every young bird-hunter should acquaint himself with the characteristics of the rarer visitors, in order to qualify himself for helping to throw light on what is still rather a dark corner of English ornithology. ”

“ It is a warbler of large size, called the great sedge-warbler or river-thrush. It selects a cluster of four or five reeds that project above the surface of a pond, with their stalks rooted in the mud under the water and growing near together. These slender piles, the tops of which the bird brings into such proximity as may be desired and fastens with connecting strands, are made to bear an interlacing of flexible materials, such as rushes, bark-fibers, and long blades of grass. It is a basket-weaver’s job, with a framework of reeds as a basis for the structure. ”

“ Next to moorhens, the most constant companion of the visitor to the sedgy margins of a pond or osier-bed is the reed-warbler. To many eyes the reed-and the sedge-warblers look alike, and to most ears their songs sound alike. Nor in their comings and goings and general behaviour is there much to distinguish them as they creep about in their shady coverts{212}
THE REED MUSICIANS or momentarily flit across some narrow space, or with a flight like a flying-fish’s in the water, suddenly appear on the surface of the reeds, skim their level tops, and as suddenly drop down out of sight again. ”

“ In habits, haunts, and in the character of its nest 87 and eggs, the Grasshopper Warbler differs entirely from the two species above mentioned. It delights in a dense undergrowth or thick hedge-bottom, where it creeps about more like a mouse than a bird, and is extremely difficult to catch sight of, pausing at intervals to seize an insect or to give forth its remarkable note. Its well-made and compact nest, so different from the slovenly structure of the Sedge Warbler, is placed upon the ground, and carefully concealed. ”

“ Although not shy of man, it is less easy to observe than any other species in this group, except, perhaps, the grasshopper warbler, on account of its excessive restlessness, the rapidity of its movements, and its habit of keeping near the surface in the close reeds and bushes it lives in. The grasshopper warbler, and, indeed, most small birds that inhabit bushes, love to come to the surface to sing; the sedge-warbler sings much as he hurries about in search of his food, which consists of small caterpillars and slugs, and aquatic insects. ”

“ These same species which we so seldom see are swarming in the flat lands of Holland, close by us, and why should they not come over to the island which birds seem to love so dearly?
But there is no doubt that birds have ways, and reasons for them, which man is very unlikely ever to be able to understand. Why, as Mr. Harting asks, [17] should the Reed-warbler be so much less “generally distributed” than the Sedge-warbler? That it is so, we can show well enough even from Oxford alone. ”

“ The Landrail craiks the whole night through, until some time after the sun rises. The Partridge too either moves about or is on the alert during spring and summer, as may be known by its often repeated twirr-twirr. “The only bird we have here,” says Edward, “that attempts to give music at the dead hours of night, is the Sedge-warbler. It appears to be possessed of the gift of song during the night as well as the day, and it is by no means niggardly in exercising its vocal powers. ”

“ They differ, too, from other warblers in their habit of singing at night. There are eight species which have all more or less a claim to be included in the British list, although three only can be regarded as regular summer migrants. These three are the Sedge Warbler (S. phragmitis) , the Reed Warbler (S. strepera) , and the Grasshopper Warbler (S. locustella) . The others are Savi’s Warbler (S. luscinoides) , the Aquatic Warbler (S. aquatica) , the Marsh Warbler (S. palustris) , the Great Reed Warbler (S. arundinacea) , and the Rufous Warbler (S. galactoides) . ”

“ May 22d, 10.30 P.M. to 2 A.M., Whitethroats and Sedge Warblers constantly striking, about fifty of each killed; wind light N.W. July 29th, one killed striking, 11.30 P.M. September 24th, one killed striking. [Leg and wing received.]
Rockabill.—May 7th, Sedge Warblers passing in numbers all night; rain, wind light S. 9th, Warblers passing all night. [Four Sedge Warblers received in flesh. See under Whitethroat.] 22d, "Warblers" passing, several killed.
Grasshopper Warbler (Acrocephalus nævius, Bodd.) .
Tuskar Rock.—April 20th, one struck, 11.30 P.M.; wind light E., misty. [Received in flesh.] ”

“ Arriving in this country about April 25th, these birds choose many varied spots for their home; osier-beds, where the various species of sedge grow in abundance, they favour most, although at times they will choose a thick and tangled hedgerow, and again, and this very frequently, they may be found amongst the dense masses of the Arando phragmitis, but in the drier portions. The arrival of the males, and perhaps of the females also, is rather irregular ”

“ The nest is very deep, and furthermore the edges of the opening bend inward and form a parapet. In this way is avoided the risk of a fall when the reeds that bear the nest are swayed by the wind. Finally, since the sedge-warbler is at liberty to build her nest at any desired height above the surface of the pond, she places it always high enough to be beyond the reach of the rising water, even in great floods. ”

“ A male pursues the female with drooping wings and erected head-feathers, uttering a rather harsh call-note; sometimes when quietly following he picks up and carries a dead leaf. If another male approaches too closely he pursues him with quick, vigorous flight. The female all the time keeps up her gentle call-note, which becomes more vigorous if her suitor, while pursuing another male, is forgetful and leaves her too long alone. Sometimes the two play together, flying at one another, the male scolding ”

“ As many as eight or nine collect together, some adult, some immature, the adults apparently very angry, scolding vigorously, their feathers ruffled and their tails spread out; the onlookers also join in the scolding, the commotion being quite unusual for bird-life. So absorbed have they sometimes been that I have crept into the middle of them before they have noticed me, when they have reluctantly dispersed. I once found an empty nest from which the young may have been taken, but there were no dead bodies round it to show that a tragedy had occurred ”

“ They inhabit more particularly wet osier-beds, where the different sedges, the Carex ovalis, Carex acuta and Carex riparia grow abundantly, but they seem to prefer them when rather drier, that is to say, where the willows are young and thick, and where the Juncus effusus, Spiræa ulmaria (meadow sweet) and different species of Epilobium (willow herb) grow in tangled masses. ”

“ On the 3d and 4th, extraordinary rushes of summer immigrants occurred at the Eddystone and Nash stations (and at Helwick on the 4th) , when Wheatears, Whitethroats, Sedge Warblers, Willow Wrens, Wood Warblers, Blackcaps, Reed Warblers, Redstarts, Pied Flycatchers, and Swallows were killed—some in considerable numbers—at the lanterns. On the 16th and 18th, in varying weather, there were arrivals of summer and transient birds at the S.W. stations. Conditions afterwards were most unsettled until the 24th, the weather being wretchedly cold and rough. ”

“ I don't believe there is anybody living who could name at sight every one of the seventy warblers that visit the United States. Some are very gaily coloured and exquisitely marked, as birds coming to us from the tropics have a right to be. Some are quietly clad; some, like the redstart, are dressed quite differently from their mates and young; others, like the yellow warbler, are so nearly alike that you could see no difference between the male and female from the distance of a few feet. ”

“ The female is merely more dull in coloration than the male, and the young even duller. The hybrids between this and the golden-winged warbler are more puzzling, but in a general way they can be recognized; a nearly typical blue-winged warbler with a black throat is probably a Lawrence’s warbler; and a golden-winged warbler without a black throat or cheek and with a variable amount of white and yellow on the under parts and in the wing-bars, is probably a Brewster’s warbler. But there is an immense amount of individual variation between the two species, due to frequent crossing. ”

“ They are very silent, uttering now and then a ‘cheep,’ and always busy searching among the leaves and cones for insects. Among some fifty collected in the first week in August, 1896, there were only two or three adults. The young males have the most coloring, but they in no way approach adult plumage. These great flights of the hermit warbler are intermingled with other species, Hammond flycatcher, Calaveras and lutescent warblers, Cassin vireo, and sometimes Louisiana tanagers and red-brested nuthatches. ”

“ They are small, very active, but feeble songsters, and, to be seen, must be sought for. In passing through the woods, most persons have a vague consciousness of slight chirping, semi-musical sounds in the trees overhead. In most cases these sounds proceed from the warblers. Throughout the Middle and Eastern States, half a dozen species or so may be found in almost every locality, as the redstart, the Maryland yellow-throat, the yellow warbler (not the common goldfinch, with black cap, and black wings and tail) , the hooded warbler, the black and white creeping warbler ”

“ Like most of the same sex of other Warblers, the female of this species is very shy, and seldom noticed except when an intruder disturbs the nest or when feeding the young after leaving it, but the male Golden-cheeked Warbler is by no means a shy bird. He keeps continually flying from tree to tree in search of insects, and on fine days uttering his song at short intervals from early dawn until after sundown, and before nest building begins shows little alarm upon being approached. ”

“ The males sing persistently and energetically from the time that they arrive on their territories, hoping to attract their mates, but they are not always successful, especially in regions where the species is rare or not very common, and their nest-building brings no occupant. Edward von S. Dingle writes to me that, at Summerton, S. C., a male prothonotary warbler built a nest in a low stub, but no female was ever seen. He sang frequently and remained in the vicinity for several weeks. ”

“ It prefers the fields and roadsides, and before there are leaves enough on the undergrowth to conceal it we may come to know it as well as it is possible to know any bird whose home life is passed so far away. Usually it is the first warbler one sees in the spring in New York and New England. With all the alertness of a flycatcher, it will dart into the air after insects that fly near the ground, keeping up a constant chip, chip, fine and shrill, at one end of the small body, and the liveliest sort of tail motions at the other. The pine warbler often bears it company. ”

“ The veiling is conspicuous on the throat.” The adult winter female is much like the first winter male, “and may have considerable black on the throat, and even the chin.”
The adult nuptial plumage is acquired mainly by wear, with only slight indications of molt, as in the young bird. Dr. Dwight says of the female: “The adult nuptial plumage is, in extreme examples, hardly distinguishable from the male, but usually the black is much restricted and the chin yellow, merely spotted with black.”
Food.—We have only scattering reports on the food of the black-throated green warbler. ”