One bird makes a lot of fuss - Sykes's Warbler

This bird was the first known Sykes's Warbler in Norway. It's origeon and final statment has been interesting and ended as a paper in 2005. I'm greatfull for Lars Svenssons ecpertise and help.

Original paper is publiced here

Summary:

Sykes Warbler Hippolais rama new to Norway at Mønstermyr nearby Flekkefjord in Vest-Agder County, the 20. September 1997.

Being situated resident at Utsira it’s regarded as direct stupid to leave the island in end of September. But life is empty without a trip to Flekkefjord in Vest-Agder my home county. Need too have a week with studies of migrating Raptors and take part in ringing activity at Mønstermyr, my local patch in Flekkefjord. This trip resulted in a ringed Sykes Warbler and new specie for Norway .

Only three weeks earlier I had sighted the third record of Booted Warbler for Utsira on the 29. and 31. August. 1997. The Mønstermyr – bird showed similarities with the Booted Warbler on Utsira in coloration, white on outermost tail-feathers and light edgings on secondaries. But the bird also showed total difference in jizz, shape and colour of bill, and primary projection. When the bird was realised it came with a soft Silvia-like ’tak’ sound.

Measurements, size, and shape of bill concluded that the bird showed character of a Syke’s Warbler.

The paper also involves geographical dispersal, and other records in Western parts of Western Palearctic. The paper involves accepted Syke’s Warblers, birds with staus like Syke’s/Booted, and Syke’s like birds accepted as Booted Warblers.

The identification are based on:

1. The Acro-impression, jizz and structure with flat forehead fine and long bill. Angrier faced expression due to flat forehead, light on lores, short supercilium, in field without coronal-stripe and broken and not obvious eye-ring. Total different from the more kindly expression of Booted Warbler that shows more Phylloscopus-impression

2. Shape and structure of bill, bright yellow out on tip of under-mandible.

3. White edgings on outermost tail feather, and light wing-panel on secondaries.

4. Longer primary-projection than the Booted Warbler at Utsira..

A short introduction of my local patch in Flekkefjord:

The former mire/marshland are newly opened with open dikes and are today a landscape for producing grass for cattle. Mønstermyr stands out as a green oasis in the gold coastal landscape 300 meters above sea level. There are free sights to Lista fyr in Vest-Agder County and Sokendal in Rogaland County . During the autumn seasons from 1990 to 1995 there are ringed over 32.600 birds which gives 97 birds’ pr day. Main species are Willow Warbler, Redpoll, Goldcrest, Robin, Reed Bunting, and Redwing all represented with over 2000 ind. during the six years. My local patch has also produced three firsts for Vest-Agder County : one Arctic Warbler ringed 1. Sept. 1991, one Yellow-breasted Bunting ringed 2. Sept. 1991, and an Olive-backed Pipit ringed on the 25. Sept. 1993. Mønstermyr is also one of Norway ’s best sites for counting migrating Raptors. During autumn seasons 1990 to 1995 there passed over 8000 migrating Raptors.

Atle Grimsby, 5547 Utsira, atgrims@yahoo.no