Wood Warbler - Halldale Wood

The first report of a singing Wood Warbler was on 10th May in Halldale Wood, whilst I have been away, but what is presumably the same male was still singing there this morning.

Wood Warbler

I've mentioned previously that the local population of Wood Warblers has declined markedly over the past two decades and last year I'm not aware of any records from Halldale which used to be one of the best places to hear their trilling song so its pleasing to have at least one male back there this year. The wider Derbyshire population faired better during the first decade of the 21st Century but has been subject to significant fluctuations from year to year and it looks like the overall trend is sadly one of decline.

The UK Wood Warbler population has declined by 69% since the mid 1990s and has been lost from 50% of its former UK range. However, the causes of this decline are unknown and may be driven by factors at their wintering sites, or migration routes or a combination of these. In order to try and understand the factors affecting Wood Warblers abroad the RSPB has attached tiny geo-locators to a number of Wood Warblers from Dartmoor and the New Forest populations which is further explained here.

I made a recording of the Wood Warbler singing this morning. On the recording you can hear the distinctive liquid trill three times followed by the peu-peu-peu-peu notes at 40 seconds and finally finishing with another trill.