The Munster Ringing group has been continuing its seven year programme of ringing birds at a number of sites across the region, to try and build up some solid data about what is happening to our bird populations in this time of environmental degradation. One of their regular ringing sites is the Cabragh Wetlands, and it is worth stopping if you see them at work – there is often something interesting to see.
A recent capture was a Common Grasshopper Warbler (locustella naevia) – a tiny, secretive bird with an olive-brown back, whitish underside and a faint white stripe over its eye. A very shy bird, it loves to hide in rough tussocky undergrowth and thickets, and will tolerate both damp and dry habitats. It must have found a perfect summer home at Cabragh after its extraordinary migration from sub-SaharanAfrica.
Its numbers have declined significantly in recent years, though it is still spread widely in Ireland and Britain. Loss of habitat appears to be the main cause; people are too quick to dismiss the sort of rough ground the grasshopper warbler loves as valueless.
When people are about, the grasshopper warbler will stay hidden (a sensible bird!), but you have a good chance of hearing it. Its call is easily confused with that of an insect, and has been compared to a mill- or spinning-wheel, or the winding mechanism of a fishing-rod reel. It seems to be able to throw its voice, like a ventriloquist, and the sound can carry over a mile on a still night. One estimate is that it can ‘sing’ 1400 double notes per minute, and up to 250,000 during a single night.
Preserve habitat, cherish and enjoy the presence of such amazing creatures.
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