Whitethroats feeling the heat

The whitethroats numbers have been affected by climate change in its winter home in the Sahel.

WHITETHROATS are nesting in a bushy hedgerow close to where I live. This might seem unremarkable but this little bird has not been seen in our neck of woods for over 30 years. The species has taken a hammering in recent decades so it’s a joy to have them back.

The whitethroat is a warbler, a tiny distant relative of the thrushes. A summer visitor from Africa, it arrives in April and departs in August. It’s easy to tell the little grey-brown songster from other small birds; the gleaming pale throat is visible even at a distance. There’s a white ring around the eye but you have to get close to the bird to see it. No shrinking violet, the male will perch conspicuously, and broadcast loudly, from the top of a bush. The song is distinctive; bursts of jerky jingle, a bit like a dunnock’s, but shorter, more forceful and frequently repeated.