An uneventful journey, apart from the final three miles in 'off road' style terrain ascending the narrow track to the higher moorland beneath the radio masts. Amazingly, there were only about 30 birders present and a space left (duly grabbed) in the car park!
I wasn't prepared for what came next - the bird started singing and showing really well within the first minute of our arrival! Great bins view and ticked..... It favoured a Holly bush on the lower slope to the road but then worked a 100m or so circle around the car park on both sides of the road.
It was by standing still, wating and hoping by the roadside, on one of these cicuits that I got a few seconds of close encounter....
Plus a burst of song!
After three hours, the bird had been staying down quite a bit and with Iberian Chiffchaff not far down the road at Wentwood Forest (a lifer for me and Will) we decided to head off for that... Another immediate tick followed, with Mike sharply picking up a burst of song and then 100m or so from the car park we pinned it down. It was skulking in a birch and whilst we got reasonable views and near continuous song (fixed firmly in my head now) it never really showed amongst the dense foliage for a record shot - then ulitmately - flew off out of sight!
With Wood Warbler showing well nearby, the day really really had been a Warbler fest.....
