Garth Peacock
Another week, another success

Archive

Grafham Water and Willow Tree Fen

Wednesday 25th March 2026

Welney WWT and area

Tuesday 17th March 2026

A lucky visit to Fen Drayton Lakes

Thursday 19th February 2026

A rainy day in West Norfolk

Sunday 15th February 2026

Abberton Reservoir Essex

Friday 23rd January 2026

Fen Drayton Lakes RSPB

Monday 5th January 2026

Fed up with Twiddling my fingers

Friday 19th December 2025

North West Norfolk

Monday 15th December 2025

A Red Kite Fest!!!

Friday 12th December 2025

Leighton Moss RSPB - My first visit

Monday 1st December 2025

Never visited here before

Monday 24th November 2025

Welney WWT Again - Goose and Duckfest

Thursday 20th November 2025

Welney WWT 28th October 2025

Friday 31st October 2025

View Blog Archive >>
Tuesday 8th March 2016

Dartford Warbler is another species on my list. The last time I had photographed one was in 2008. A rather funny story attached to it too.

Someone had told me that one was singing close to a path at Dunwich Heath, replica watches Suffolk, and in August too. An early start (well I was younger then) and I spent the whole day trudging over the heath without seeing or hearing one - not surprising really because it was school holidays on a nice day and it was really busy.

Finally giving up and heading back to the car, I passed a small family on holiday from Scotland that asked me what the bird was that kept disappearing into the bush in front of them - you've guessed it - a Dartford Warbler. It posed on the top of the heather some way away but flew into the bush directly with nesting material. Odd for August and the photos were not the best because of the messy background.

Several attempts since then have failed miserably and then one was reported at Coates, East of Peterborough, only the fifth report ever for Cambridgeshire, and not a million miles away. It was over a week before I could get there last Thursday and it had not been reported since the weekend. Was luck with me or not?

Finding another photographer there, we chewed the fat, as one does, and then we saw it at rolex replica watches the top of the field, giving distant shots before it disappeared into a bush without getting into range.

Later, a friend, James Hanlon turned up and we searched until we found it and eventually it provided close views although with a somewhat messy background. The following shots have had some background branches edited out.

So not a bad result in the end but I can see a trip to Dunwich Heath coming up soon for when they start singing for territory.