Shaddup Your Face

The pioneering spirit of birds knows no bounds – after one of the coldest winters in living memory a Dartford Warbler – sans snood – has decided to blaze a trail to Ruabon Moor.

Sadly, one fears the toughest challenge the dainty Warbler will face in the near future is not from harsh climatic conditions, but from the inevitable stampede from local craparazzi intent of thrusting an expensive lens in its face.

Dartford Warbler is a Schedule 1 species in this country and this has raised a number of questions in my mind.

Firstly, why did the finder of the bird – somebody called Steve Culley – decide to disseminate news of the sighting to the wider birding public?

As in the case nowadays, many birders feel the kudos gained from finding a rare bird usurps the bird’s right to not being disturbed. Surely he was fully aware that the welfare and potential breeding success – albeit slim – of the Dartford Warbler would be compromised by publishing news of the sighting.

His temerity is compounded by the fact that this species is especially vulnerable given that its choice of habitat and diminutive size invites close attention from the selfish few.

Secondly, why have website such as Birdguides decided to carry news of the bird?

At the end of March last year I sent an email to Birdguides detailing the sighting of a Ring Ouzel – clearly on passage – very near to World’s End, yet they chose to not carry the information on their website, probably thinking it was a potential breeder.

Why then, carry information on the Dartford Warbler?

Like some of Joe Dolce’s countrymen, one feels ‘Omerta’ would have been the best policy.

Until later.