Confusing woodland warblers

Photo by Phil Gates

A willow warbler, a migrant that spends the winter in Sub-Saharan Africa, was also noted for the first time this year on Saturday, singing by the car park of the Botanical Gardens. The willow warbler’s close relative the chiff-chaff has been heard singing around Durham for the last few weeks now. The two species, which are difficult to separate by eye, can be easily told apart by their very different songs. Click on the links below to listen to their song (click the play buttons):

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/w/willowwarbler/

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/c/chiffchaff/

Don’t forget to record sightings of these or any other species on the Greenspace Biodiversity link:

http://www.dur.ac.uk/greenspace/internalpartners/biodiversity/records/