Melodious Warbler photographed at Pleinmont [PLE] on 5/8/2011 Photo: © Judy Down (visit site)

The Melodious Warbler replaces the Icterine Warbler in south-west Europe. It breeds in north Africa, Spain, Italy and up through France and has recently spread into Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and has summered in Denmark. It winters in sub-saharan Africa.

In the Bailiwick, Melodious Warblers are regular autumn migrants and have been recorded on the three main islands. The first Bailiwick record is from Alderney on 30 July 1955 and the first Guernsey record was of two birds on Lihou on 14-15 September 1958, one of which was caught and ringed. The next record was not until 1970, twelve years after the previous record. As observers became more familiar with this species during the 1970s and 1980s, it was recorded almost annually. As with the Icterine Warbler many of the Bailiwick's records came from La Fougeraie in Sark, where Philip Guille operated his ringing station. However, from 1975 to 1990 this species was recorded virtually annually in Guernsey as well and the number of records across the two islands were approximately equal. Species has occurred in Alderney and also at the Casquets Lighthouse on 26 October 1975 (Transactions - Conder has different date??) and 6 August 1976.

The first birds, all juveniles where they have been specifically identified, arrive in the Bailiwick during the first week of August and the number of records rises to a peak in the last week of August. After this, passage tails off to the throughout the first half of September and has virtually ceased by the middle of September. There are however three records of single birds in October. Most records are of single birds but there are two records of two birds being seen together and one of three birds.

Spring records are extremely rare. Philip Guille caught a bird at La Fougeraie on 14 May 1988 and another bird was seen on 14 May 1981 [CHECK THIS ONE WAS IT ACCEPTED??]. There have been no spring records of singing birds holding territory but there is an intriguing record of a bird caught at La Fougeraie on 10 August 1971 which was aged as a 3J, which signifies a bird which has not completed its post-juvenile moult. Philip noted that the undertail coverts were still in active moult. Although most juvenile passerines migrate after completing moult, it is unlikely that this bird was born on the island.

In Sark a total of 20 birds were ringed between 1969 and 1987 and Philip Guille also observed one other bird. In Guernsey, over half the records of birds in Guernsey are from Pleinmont. Most of the remaining birds have been recorded in reedbeds by ringers but there are also records of birds from Carteret Quarry, the Silbe Nature Reserve, the Dell Nursery, Jaonneuse, Jerbourg and Les Landes. These records suggests that, up until 1990 at least, this species occurred annually in small numbers across a wide area and in a variety of different habitats.