Whitethroat Warbler (Sylvia communis)

One of my favourite small birds, but don't let the size fool you.

Every year around April time, having gorged on berries from Salvadora bushes in the Sahel, just south of the Sahara Desert, these birds make a jouney close to 6,000 miles to the UK, only to repeat the journey in the opposite direction just a few months later, crossing the Sahara twice in the process.

With little time to spare once they arrive in the UK they quickly get down to the business of breeding, with the first eggs usually laid in May. The male builds several nests for the female to choose from, and she lines the one she chooses with fine grasses and hair. Both parents incubate the eggs, but the female does most of the work as she always incubates throughout the night.

Whitethroats are mainly found in scrubby habitats, preferring low cover such as brambles, nettle patches and the base of hedgerows, feeding mainly on invertebrates such as beetles and caterpillars. They will feed up on berries once more during the late summer/early autumn before they return to Africa.

I often find myself playing hide and seek with them, hoping one will emerge at just the right spot for a moment, just as this immature female one did.