Category
A
Status
Vagrant
Breeding status
First Record
1978
Last Recorded
1984

Icterine Warbler Hippolais icterina


 

The first record for the Channel Islands and the Bailiwick was trapped in the Banquette Valley in Sark on 6 August 1970. Philip Guille caught all seventeen records of Sark's Icterine Warblers at La Fougeraie. All but one were juveniles and they were caught mostly in the second half of August and first half of September, although in 1984 he caught two in October. There is also a record from the Casquets Lighthouse in October 1975, showing that vagrants can also turn up in late autumn. There are only two spring records, a male that was noted as singing, was trapped at La Fougeraie, Sark on 23 May 1978 and another bird (quoted as "seen and heard" in the Transactions) was seen five days later in Herm on 28 May 1978. This was the first record for Guernsey & Herm and was followed by another bird at an unknown site [NOT IN TRANSACTIONS BUT IS IN BISSON] on 31 August 1979 and the last Guernsey record of a bird at Pleinmont on 9 September 1984.

During the same time period, Philip Guille also caught 20 Melodious Warblers suggesting that, at La Fougeraie at least, the two species pass through in approximately equal numbers. In Guernsey and Herm, there were approximately 30 records of Melodious Warbler but only three of Icterine. It may be that Sark, being closer to the continental mainland is likely to receive more birds or that habitat selection is an issue here. Icterine Warblers are known to prefer areas with more woodland and the cat-walks at La Fougeraie may have been placed in more suitable habitat for this species.

Despite this, Icterine Warblers were by no means annual in Sark, despite almost daily ringing effort. In 1975, there were a total of nine records from Sark and the Casquets indicating considerable passage between 11 August and 13 September including 2 caught in Sark on 29th August.





View database records (7)
Icterine Warbler Bordeaux [BOR] 24/9/2013 1
Icterine Warbler Bordeaux [BOR] 24/9/2013 1
Icterine Warbler Bordeaux [BOR] 24/9/2013 1
Icterine Warbler Grand Pre, La Rochelle 3/9/2014 1 ringed
Icterine Warbler Longis Pond 30/8/2018 1
Icterine Warbler Longis Common - ABO Daily Census 31/8/2018 1
Icterine Warbler Longis Common - ABO Daily Census 4/9/2018 1