Early this morning, while at home, news filtered through that County Recorder Jane Turner had trapped a Barred Warbler in her seafront garden at Hoylake. Jane promptly shared the information via the local WhatsApp bird group, advising that the bird would be released within the hour.
Jane's seafront garden
Shortly afterwards, Jane emerged from her garden with the bird safely in hand, offering those present the rare opportunity to see this elusive migrant at close quarters. The warbler was in good condition and was released without delay.
Barred Warbler is a notable scarcity in Cheshire and Wirral, and this individual represented an excellent county record. For me personally, it was a particularly satisfying encounter, providing a long-awaited county tick after many hours spent searching unsuccessfully for last year’s Burton RSPB bird.
The county’s historical records underline just how infrequently this species occurs locally. Including today’s bird, there are now only nine accepted records, distributed as follows:
2023 Burton RSPB, 10th-12th November
2017 Hale, 14th November
2014 West Kirby, 9th -17th November
2014 Red Rocks, 16th September (possibly 4th day)
2010 Hoylake, 3rd September
2000 Leasowe, 11th September
1999 Leasowe, 12th September
1993 Red Rocks, 12th September