Birdwatching

OF AQUATIC WARBLER.

There is a popular misconception tat Aquatic Warbler is basically a Sedge Warbler with a crown stripe.
This is not so.Aquatic is distinetive,and good views should revel many subtle and not so subtle differencer that combine to create a characteristic jizz for the rarity minded observer, Aquatic bear an uncanny resemblance to a miniature, thin billed bobolink.

The major pitfall is pale,buffy juveenile or first winter Sede, which may also show obvious crown stripe. >Aquatic should be indentified with caution, and not claimed until all main differences have been noted.


Most Aquatic Wablers occuring in EUROPE are first winter individuals, and following details refer to that age group. Young Sedge are distinctly paler and buffer than adults,but Aquatic is yellower than that species. Upperparts are heavily striped black and yellowish buff,with two rather broader,creamy tramlines towards sides of mantle, rump is noticeably streaked black on a buffish background, in contrast to plain chestnut tinged rump of Sedge.

Even in brief flight view, Aquatic looks a mass of streaks. Tail feathers are quite sharply pointed,giving Aquatic a spiky tailed appearance,can at times be surprisingly different from Sedge,which has more rounded tail feathers, has , centralpair protrudes beyond the rest,contributing to a more graduated tail shape.




Given reasonable view of peched Aquatic,cocentrate on head,surprisingly, crown stripe is not always obvious particullarly if head seen side on,but notepale,unmarked lores Sedge has dark line from bill to eye,producing sharper facial expression reminiscent of firecrest,prominent supercilium is yellowish buff and rather downcurved,not so wedge shaped as on Sedge,while black eye stripe is rather stronger and thicker behind eye.

Crown stripe seen best when bird bends its head down,crown is very dark,almost black,contrasting strongly with thin,sharply defined crown stripe,which broadens above bill into a smal bronze patch,Sedge,crown stripe is broader,messier and less sharply defined,while,unlike Aquatic,there may be intrusion of dark streaking,blurring demareation between crown stripe and crown itself,bill of Aquatic is slightly shorter and thicker than Sedge's,while head may look more rounder.

These features,combined with more curved supercilium and pale lores,create generally softer,more open expression than Sedge Warbler...But to see and to observen the Aquatic Warbler is POLEN.....