Spotting Cetti's Warbler- Ramit Singhal

A couple of months back, it was while reviewing eBird lists from OBP that I encountered a list with a Cetti's Warbler in it. Then, as I sat amongst reeds having just seen the Spotted and Baikal Bush Warblers in the Maguri Beel grasslands of Assam, I decided that I will try for the Cetti's whenever I get the time to bird in OBP next.

That day was not to be far and I visited OBP today morning with the aim of trying my luck with this skulking, and possibly overlooked, warbler.

I reached at 0830 but the fog did not lift at least until one and a half hours later. Despite the visibility being very low (<10m, I think - couldn't see anything at all!), I birded by the ear as much as possible and stationed myself by the Yamuna at the end of the Banyan Bund.

Once the visibility got better, I started walking back through the reeds amongst all the recognised paths, while playing the call of the target bird once every 30m or so. About 200m in, I walked on having waited 5 minutes at a spot and I had almost reached the next spot when I heard a bird sing from the previous spot. It sang its short explosive song once more but it had become quiet again by the time I reached. I waited and eventually played it's call again.

This time, I saw the bird flit through the reeds, giving brief glimpses - the broad rounded tail first, then the head and the pale throat and then a bit of the tail and body again. It didn't sing this time but gave short rattling alarm(?) calls - and I was ready to record them. Unfortunately, the Moustached Warblers nearby didn't approve and chased the bird in quickly. But I was pleased - job done smile emoticon

OBP remains, in my opinion, the best riparian grassland/reedbed habitat in NCR and the birds today were a good reminder of the same. At least 4 Striated Grassbirds, several Moustached and Paddyfield Warblers, lots of munias, several Marsh Harriers and a fair number of ducks and geese (hard to ID most with the fog and distance involved) but I did see at least 4 Ferruginous Pochards.

I also saw a White-tailed Stonechat for the first time in two years at OBP. This once-easily seen bird has become quite elusive of late and I can only hope that the population is intact and breeding successfully.

I did not walk on the metalled road along the river, but just the banyan bund and associated paths in the reeds on the left and the fields on the right. Here's the full list from the morning on eBird and the Cetti's recording has been uploaded here too:http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S26163742

Good birding
Ramit Singal