Willow warblers luck

Spring and early summer in north west Scotland was notable for the excellent weather and, in one small area, a large number of willow warblers. There were times when almost the only bird song heard in the garden was from a willow warbler.

By mid June the garden was looking very overgrown and the good weather was a chance to get on with tidying up.

While strimming I almost stepped into a hole created by a fallen tree and for safety I used the dead tree on the left in this photo to mark the place.

Within a few minutes one of the many willow warblers was using this tree as a perch and it was good to be able to get clear views of the bird. After resting on the tree the bird almost always dropped down to the ground very close to the tree stump on the right.

I had a quick look around the area and found this nest with four young. Had I not almost stepped into the hole it is very likely that I would have strimmed the nest. They were so lucky. In future I will have a good look around first.

A few days later I'm pleased to say the four young fledged successfully.