First Dartford Warbler Trip

With the brief sunshine being predicted this Easter Weekend, I had a think about what I wanted to photograph and one thing on my list that I haven’t yet is the Dartford Warbler. I’ve seen some amazing photos of them pop up on my Instagram so I knew I had a good chance to see them, especially as they should be pretty active in this warm spell.

Unfortunately in the 1960s the population of Dartford Warblers in the UK crashed to just 10 pairs due to unusually harsh winters, however they have gradually recovered since increasing their numbers and range to approximately 3,200 pairs. They typically live in Heathland and will perch on top of Gorse bushes to sing which is a great moment to catch a photograph of.

Having never photographed them before I decided to leave super early in the morning to maximise my chances. I knew my local Heathland has them and had a good idea of the area they could be. So when I arrived I made a beeline to the spot and on my way manged to see one, already! I got some photographs as it darted through the bushes and soon disappeared further into the Heathland. I remember thinking how small they were as they seem to be a lot bigger in the zoomed in photos you see online. Their striking red eye makes them unmistakeable.

Over the coarse of the next few hours I managed to located several of them and sometimes there would be a pair moving through the Goose together and they were very obviously calling to each other so they wouldn’t lose each other which was fascinating. One amazing thing I saw was the pair gathering nesting materials together as they prepare for breeding season, nesting on the ground.

My first trip was so successful and now I know where they hang out I will be going back to see what other photos I can capture.