4.
uttering, according to Gilbert White 'a joyous easy
laughing note - a sweet plaintive note'. It is abun-
dant, probably more numerous than the Chiff Chaff in
all the places already mentioned. One should look out
for this bird at the edge of woodland, particularly
where there is dense undergrowth. It can also turn up
on tree clad heathland, as occurs at Mill Green,
Danbury Common, Galleywood Common and Tiptree Heath.
In 1974 members were fortunate to see a willow
warblers nest at Mill Green. This nest was at the
edge of woodland, on the ground, and very difficult
to locate. The Willow Warbler can be distinguished
from the Chiff Chaff by its song - a musical cadence
which descends to a quite distinctive flourish. Some
authorities say the legs of the Willow Warbler are
pale in colour, but there are varieties, so the song
is the best way to recognise this bird.
The Wood Warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix)
Some members who attended the Epping Forest meeting
in 1962 were rewarded with seeing and hearing a Wood
Warbler. This bird is a scarce visitor to Essex; it
seems to prefer the beech woods of the Western side
of the British Isles. It is larger and more yellowish
than the two previous species. Gilbert White was one
of the first of our Amateur Naturalists to separate
the 'leaf warblers' by their song. In his Natural History
of Selbourne he describes the bird as uttering 'a
sibilous shivering noise in the tops of tall woods'.
This is certainly a very apt description. Its song
is a repetition of a single note 'top' repeated and
accelerating into a trill; the rhytham of the song
being rather like of a coin being spun on a plate and
allowed to settle - try it some time '.
This bird prefers deciduous woodland, particularly
beech woods. It begins to arrive towards the end of
April. The Club have heard this bird in Hartswood
near Brentwood, in the Beechwoods near Baldwins Hill
and in Thorndon Park. Its occurence in Essex in large
numbers is doubtful. It is well worth looking for.