Cetti’s Warbler Cettia cetti (Temminck, 1820)

Scarce, resident. Probably breeds. Best seen when singing in April.

  1. One female, not aged, late 1998 (N.R. Milbourne).* See note 1 below.
  2. One female, ringed, Feb. 1999 (W.White). See note 2 below.
  3. One male, not aged, 7th April to 11th May 2000 (N.R. Milbourne).
  4. One male, not aged, 29th April to 4th July 2001 (N.R. Milbourne).
  5. One male, not aged, 2nd-30th May 2005 (N.R. Milbourne).
  6. One male, not aged, 1st April to 17th May 2006 (N.R. Milbourne).
  7. One male, not aged, 28th March to 6th June 2007 (N.R. Milbourne).
  8. One male, not aged, 26th Aug. 2007 (N.R. Milbourne), presumed same 13th Oct. (N.R. Milbourne), & 17th Nov. (N.R. Milbourne).
  9. One male, not aged, 31st May to 1st June 2008 (N.R. Milbourne). See note 3 below.
  10. One male, not aged, 1st Jan.-18th April 2009 (N.R. Milbourne).
  11. One, possibly a 1st-winter, 17th Oct. to 5th Dec. 2009 (N.R. Milbourne), presumed same 27th Feb. to 5th March 2010 (N.R. Milbourne). See note 4 below.
  12. One male, not aged, 26th Oct. to 15th Nov. 2009 (N.R. Milbourne).
  13. One male, not aged, 30th Oct. 2009 (N.R. Milbourne), See note 5 below.
  14. One male, not aged, 4th April 2010 (N.R. Milbourne).
  15. One male, not aged, 19th March 2012 (N.R. Milbourne).
  16. One male, not aged, 13th Nov. 2013 (N.R. Milbourne), presumed same 23rd Jan. 2014 (S. Hale).
  17. One male, probable juv., 18th Oct. 2017 (N.R. Milbourne).
  18. One male, possibly a 1st-winter, 17th Oct. 2018 (L. Delve), presumed same 20th Oct. (N.R. Milbourne, M. Hynam).

Now established and records have become too frequent to list .

Note 1: A bird seen poorly and heard calling in Long Bay wasn’t recognised at first, but subsequent checks at CVL & the Somerset Levels revealed its identity. It was heard the following day at Pipe Bay as well. Submitted to, and bizarrely rejected by, AOG Recorder’s committee!

Note 2: Warwick White ringed a bird & has other records from this time involving birds probably breeding around Butcombe Bay and North Shore.

Note 3: A bird recorded at Indian Country/Rugmoor on the first date was assumed to be the same bird heard at Ubley Hatchery the following day.

Note 4: Probably the same as record #11 being heard at Top End.

Note 5: Heard at Home Bay reeds and assumed to be different to record #12 which was regularly heard at Pipe Bay.

Given that Cetti’s Warbler’s Cettia cetti breed regularly at Chew Valley Lake less than 3 miles away, they are surprisingly scarce at Blagdon Lake. It is probable that they were knocked back by the hard winters at the end of the first decade of this century, and that resulted in fewer records until they have become established again. In 2024 there were five males singing around the lake, the highest count yet.

Bibliography (sources of information):

  1. Milbourne, N.R. personal diaries.

Last update: 2nd December 2024