Dartford Warbler.

nr Lords Hall, Darwen Moor, 3rd-17th May 2003.

The first Lancashire record.

by S. J. Martin.

The morning had not looked too promising, low cloud enveloping Winter Hill & a SW wind heightened thoughts of abandoning moorland surveys & sticking to the “low” ground at Belmont.

However, the forecast gave optimism, so I decided to chance it.

The survey had been largely uneventful with the odd wader punctuating the counting of Meadow Pipits, Skylarks & conspicuous cock Grouse. I had just sat down in an area of rank heather to view the panorama. The town of Darwen lay hemmed in its valley below & a distant Pendle Hill was now bathed in early morning sunshine. The day was certainly now improving.

As I wrote “7.40 am” in the finish time box of the BTO BBS survey sheet, I caught a brief series of scratchy notes to my left & turning round saw a small, dark bird sink into the deep heather. My first thought was “odd Linnet”, but assuming the bird would reappear I nonchalantly continued to take in the view. A minute or so later & more wheezy notes. Focusing on the songster my hands began to shake! I instantly knew what it was, but I instinctively knew that it shouldn’t be on a Lancashire grouse-moor.

There was no mistake; I was looking at an adult male Dartford Warbler. Anyone who has ever been privileged enough to find a rare bird will appreciate the thoughts & actions of the following minutes as I desperately tried not to panic!

Heart racing, I tried to contact another birder on the mobile who could verify the record whilst keeping track of the warbler which was now flitting amongst the heather whilst singing conspicuously. My father (D S Martin) was soon on his way but with thoughts that the Lancs rarities committee may have me tried for nepotism, I tried unsuccessfully to contact other birder friends (holidaying in Poland & Lesbos as it transpired).

I already had an inclination that access may be a difficulty, as my permission to access this area of private moorland had been granted subject to conditions, so after my father & I had enjoyed some superb close views (but not a camera between us) I contacted the landowner.

As I feared, the landowner & his gamekeeper insisted that this area was not to be disturbed as it was a critical time for breeding Grouse (on eggs or with small young) & other ground-nesting birds. After discussions with the County Recorder it was reluctantly decided that news of the bird could not be generally released. However, all parties agreed that the bird could be monitored (presuming it stayed) on a weekly basis, with attempts to photograph the bird made on these visits. If the warbler stayed long enough not to compromise breeding Grouse (or if the bird moved to an area where it was visible from a public footpath) then it could be more widely enjoyed.

The warbler stayed for another fortnight, inhabiting a small area of rank heather at around the 1200-foot contour (not dissimilar in appearance to a Southern heath) & was even observed to be constructing a cock-nest on one occasion! However due to inclement weather conditions the bird became more skulking & no photographs of the bird were obtained although it did give opportunity for a tiny number of hopeful photographers to see the bird.

The Dartford Warbler becomes the first (much anticipated) record for Lancashire, following two previous records elsewhere in Northwest England. This enigmatic bird is the only native, regular breeding English species to have not previously occurred in Lancashire. F S Mitchell writing in 1884, in his introduction to “Birds of Lancashire” dismisses a record of a breeding pair at Lytham in about the year 1845.

 One question remains. When did the bird arrive? The week before the 3^rd May had been generally wet with a SW wind, not conditions one would expect to bring a sedentary southern species to Lancashire. The warm settled spell with E & SE winds in March & early April is probably favourite, but the intriguing possibility remains that the bird could have been present for some time, undiscovered on a virtually unvisited section of moorland.

Steven Martin - June 2003.

Accepted by Lancashire Records Panel.