Blyth’s reed warblers ringed in Bahrain

Today, not only news about repression of human rights activists from Bahrain; better news as well.

By Jem Babbington:

Blyth’s Reed Warblers – Ringing at Alba Marshes (Bahrain)

Oct 20 2012

Nicole went on a net round when we were at Alba Marsh and came back with three birds. She handed me one and I took it out of the bag to be confronted with a small bird superficially looking like a Chiffchaff but with a different shaped bill and different colour.

It was obviously a Reed Warbler type but was very small and Nicole said she had another one in one of the other bags. I suspected it may be a Blyth’s Reed Warbler so we checked Svensson to see the wing formula and wing length of Blyth’s Reed Warbler both of which fitted (wing length 60mm).

We then checked all the other formulas for Blyth’s Reed Warbler with again all fitting the species. The second bird Nicole had was also another Blyth’s Reed Warbler and I could remember Brendan had ringed one before in Bahrain but I am uncertain where it was caught but it was on 13th August 2007.

Blyth’s Reed Warbler is a vagrant to Bahrain and has only been recorded a few times so to catch two together is unprecedented. Both birds are shown in the photographs with the top three showing one bird and the bottom four showing the second bird. As there were two birds both Nicole and I ringed one.