It's still only August, and I've already been lucky enough to find two Icterine Warblers here at Filey this autumn. Neither chose to show off for more than a few seconds, and both - in common with the bird in the late spring - materialised in the same small area of the Top Scrub (actually secondary / successional woodland), all within about 15 metres of each other.
The second bird, which showed up a few days ago on the late morning of the 26th (and was seen again on the 28th), is pictured above and, interestingly, below - a Bowie-esque change in appearance that made us thankful this view wasn't the only one we got.
The first bird (which showed briefly over the course of a few minutes on the afternoon of the 14th, and never again) is pictured below, and without the most obvious features on display, was a far from straightforward i.d.; thanks to various correspondents however (particularly Martin Cade at Portland), other possibilities were ruled out. A promising start to the season, which will hopefully be dominated by easterlies, mist, showers and the prizes that such conditions bring.....
