Best time to see: late Apr to mid Sep
Key facts
Noisy little bird of reed beds and bushy margins, its vigorous song a mixture of stuttering trills and harsh phrases
Habitat: reed beds, marshes, ditches and dykes
Summer visitor widespread near fresh water, wintering in tropical Africa
Recognition
Bold eyebrow contrasts with black eyestripe; pale underparts with buff flanks; 12–13cm
Often sings well hidden in vegetation but sometimes perches openly
Feeds mostly on small insects, also beetles, spiders, caterpillars, small dragonflies
Lifecycle
Males sing during short up-and-down courtship flights with quivering wings
Nest is a cup of grass lined with hair hidden in waterside vegetation, on or near ground
One, sometimes 2, broods May to July; 5–6 pale green eggs, speckled buff
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© David Harrison