Peterborough Bird Club annual report Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus | A* | Vagrant 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003
2003	No records.
2002	No records.
2001	Vagrant. The first record for the PBC area of this loud, big bruiser of a warbler was a singing bird heard at Deeping Lakes NR on the evening of 18 May (TW). A handful of lucky individuals were contacted and able to see it before dark that night. There was no need to panic, though, as it remained in the same small patch of reeds (home to several Reed Warblers) and sang off and on until 29 May (SPD). Image © Trevor Williams. Click for a bigger version Owing to the private ownership of the site, attempts were made to limit release of news of the bird’s presence to local birdwatchers only. However, news of the bird’s presence did leak nationally and several birders from outside the area visited the site. Download an MP3 of this bird's song! Great Reed Warbler at Deeping Lakes NR - Trevor Williams FRIDAY 18 May was unusual for me, having managed to catch an early train home. With the prospect of a warm evening, I decided to bird the Deeping Lakes NR. This generally quiet location had had a run of good birds recently including Little Gull and Black Tern, and I fancied something a bit special. On arrival, I was struck by the large number of newly arrived Swifts. A Grey Plover, scarce in the Deepings, was still present, accompanied by Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, Redshank, Oystercatcher and Little Ringed Plover. I decided to finish the evening by completing the circuit around the far pits. These established pits generally produce less bird interest than the newly landscaped pits nearer to the entrance. However, the strains of a loud Acrocephalus warbler coming from the pocket-handkerchief sized reedbed opposite caught my attention. Mildly excited by the prospect of adding Reed Warbler to my Welland Bank year list, I strolled the 150 yards to where I'd heard the brief refrain. Having confirmed the presence of Reed Warbler, gently grumbling away I was still a little reluctant to leave. Was that really all I'd heard? Then suddenly, like an explosion at my feet, came the unmistakable 'Gatling gun' sound of a Great Reed Warbler! It took me ten frustrating minutes before I saw the bird and extinguished any lingering doubts I might have had. Description: In appearance resembled Reed Warbler, but size and build like a small Song Thrush and overall colour a shade darker on the head and back than Reed Warbler, with a white throat and greyish white breast. Buffish flanks. Off-white supercilium contrasting with a dark eye-stripe. Tail longer in comparison to Reed Warbler, with broad, rounded end in flight. Voice: a very loud, rhythmic sequence of repeated phrases: ker-ker, karra-karra, tsee-tsee... Could be heard from a considerable distance away. The bird was seen that evening by a handful of locals and, with the kind permission of the site manager, the rest of the Deeping birders the following morning and photographs and a sound recording were obtained. The bird remained in the same location for the next 12 days but became decreasingly less vocal. At the time, Deeping Lakes NR were still owned and operated by Lafarge (an aggregate extraction company) but they are now in the final process of being transferred to the care of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. While content for a handful of local birdwatchers to see the bird, the site manager was not prepared to allow wider access. The adjacent river bank footpath was also closed because of Foot and Mouth restrictions. In these circumstances it was not possible to arrange general access although news did leak on to the national rare bird news services and several out of area birders did visit the site. Status: 1-3 in the UK annually. A well-observed bird at Chapel St Leonards, Lincolnshire in June 2000.
2000	No records.
1999	No records.
1998	No records.
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