Bird of the week - Willow warbler

A few photos from my neighbour Gill's wildlife reserve (!) this week.  This willow warbler was collecting aphids.  Tricky photography against the light - mostly with +2 stops exposure compensation.

Willow warblers (Phylloscopus trochilus) are very obvious in April when they arrive and start singing.  They will also be more visible in the next few weeks as they feed up before heading off to sub-Saharan Africa for the winter.

Willow warblers are less common than they used to be, especially in the south and east of the British Isles.

The willow warbler's name in Spanish is Mosquitero Musical.  Thomas Bewick knew it as a willow wren.

You can watch a BTO video on identification of willow warbler and chiffchaff here.