October 21st

I went down to Kilminning a little bit later this morning to have a coffee break in the sunshine – although we have a cold north wind in at last, making it feel a bit more wintery. I timed it perfectly. There was a small crowd staking out the wrong bushes for the dusky warbler and I heard it calling from its usual haunts just as I arrived. I called them over and within a few minutes it started feeding in sight, about a quarter of the time above the bushes and quite often in a tall shrub with a lot of bare branches. The best views so far, and best of all the bird was photographable at last. Still a challenge because it was moving constantly still, and never really out in the open. But John Anderson managed a few shots as you can see below. The bird looked less brown and brighter below in the bright sunshine, but still a very dark brown and dirty looking chiffchaff, and of course with its epic supercilium and chacking call.

The dusky warbler currently at Kilminning. Not the perfect portrait shots that John likes, but I really think these capture the essence of the bird better. Skulky and quick, while also showing more than enough to see what a dusky warbler looks like (John Anderson)

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