I remember watching Question of Sport when I was a kid & the best bit was the mystery guest. There were shots of different bits of a mystery sports person's face & the contestants had to identify the sports person from these photos. They probably still do this, but I've not watched the program for years. Anyway, it's the inspiration for today's post with the QoS Warbler, which I've skillfully photographed bits of, rather than all of it. I've been looking hard in recent days hoping to find something good around the Studland area & then today I found this mystery Warbler at Knoll Beach in with a Chiffchaff flock. Answer at the bottom.
QoS Warbler: Looks interesting a lemon super, dark eyestripe & pale off whitish upderparts & is that a short tail?
QoS Warbler: That's a better view of the super and the pale based bill
QoS Warbler: More interesting, it's got a broad lemon wingbar and definitely a short dark tail
QoS Warbler: That's better, there are 2 lemon-coloured wingbars and orangy feet
QoS Warbler: Looks like it has encountered Hanging-parrots
It shouldn't have been too hard for UK Birders: Yellow-browed Warbler. While it's a Warbler than a Shetlands Birder wouldn't even get out of bed in the morning, if that was all they were going to see that day, they are still a scarce species in Poole Harbour. Nearly all the records are around Studland & this is about the 4th or 5th I've found in recent years there: with singles at Middle & South Beaches in 2008 & at least 1 on the Heather Walk, South Haven in 2011 (perhaps two individuals as there were 2 sightings a week apart). I didn't manage to get any clear shots of today's individual, so here is one taken at Abbotsbury last year.
Yellow-browed Warbler: Abbotsbury (Nov 14)
Additional YBWs have been found by Nick Hopper, Graham Armstrong & Steve Morrison in the last few years, so they are nearly annual around Studland these days. But away from the Studland area in Poole Harbour, they are really scarce with only another 3 or 4 records in the last decade.