Confusion Confounded

It was one or those, "Oh to be in England now that April's there" sort of mornings. I photographed "the wise thrush" singing his songs twice over on top of the ash tree against a beautiful cloudless blue sky.

As Jazzy and I walked past a shrubbery on the banks of the lake I heard unfamiliar birdsong and shot from the hip in the direction of an indistinct shape amongst the twitching foliage. I chimped and the bird on my display looked like a chiff-chaff but I knew that it wasn't because of its song. It must be a willow warbler I thought and as I walked back to the house I warbled its song. I warbled it to MrQ as I Googled. He agreed that my warbling sort of matched the sound clip. :) Shame I'm not Swedish. I could have translated it into words. :)  "The song of the willow warbler (lövsångare) is similar to the long falling and varying melody of the chaffinch, and is interpreted as "Och vi som hade det så bra och så blev det så här" (We who had it so good and yet it became like this). The falling, complaining melody is transferred into a complaining sentence."

It is very difficult to identify a willow warbler from a chiff-chaff without hearing the song. There are subtle differences, including that the willow warbler has pale legs. Not surprising that the collective noun for willow warblers is a confusion.

I've left a frame of lovely, new, fresh hawthorn leaves around my bird. Known as 'bread and cheese' they have a nice nutty taste. I've made Roger Phillips' tasty hawthorn and beetroot salad from his book Wild Food a few times.