Savi’s Warbler
Locustella luscinioides (Savi, 1824) (11, 1)
Photo © By Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom - Savi's Warbler (Locustella luscinioides), CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74706783
STATUS
Western and Central Palearctic. Polytypic.
OVERVIEW
It was a regular though never very abundant summer visitor to England, until the drainage of the fens and meres of East Anglia changed their habitat during the middle of the 19th century. It was known from Wicken and Burwell Fens in Cambridgeshire and Woodwalton Fen in Huntingdonshire, and suitable places in Norfolk such as Strumpshaw and the South Walsham area.
The first record was thought by Temminck, who was on a visit to London in 1819, to be a variety of Reed Warbler, leaving G. R. Gray to claim the 1840 Cambridgeshire duo as the first for Britain, but being obtained by the unreliable J. Baker they were later rejected.
The last English specimen was obtained in June 1856 and it was fifty-two years before it visited Britain again, two being found on Fair Isle. There was then another wait, this time of forty-six years, when one was discovered in song at Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire.
Four of the six Norfolk individuals are at the Castle Museum, Norwich.
RECORDS
1). 1819 Norfolk Limpenhoe, obtained, May, now at Castle Museum, Norwich.
(Lubbock, 1845; Yarrell, 1871-85; Marr & Shipley, 1904; Riviere, 1930; Ticehurst, 1932; Taylor, Seago, Allard & Dorling, 1999).
History Alfred Newton (1871-74 (1): 389-390, 4th ed.) in Yarrell's British Birds, says: 'The first example of the species known to have been obtained in Britain, and probably in Europe - for it was assuredly the first example ever brought to the notice of naturalists, was shot in Norfolk by the late Mr. James Brown of Norwich, about the middle of May in the early part of this century.
It is still preserved in the Norwich Museum, and Mr. Stevenson was favoured by Mr. Brown with the information that the singular note of a bird had been remarked by himself, the late Sir William Hooker and another friend, in the marshes near Norwich for some time before a sight of the singer could be obtained.
These gentleman called it the "Reel-bird", for the same reason as prompted the fen-men to give a similar name to the species last described [Grasshopper Warbler]. At length the bird was discovered at Limpenhoe, and after much caution, for as soon as it was aware of any one's approach it would drop from its perch on an alder into a patch of sedge growing beneath, it was obtained. The specimen was submitted to Temminck during his visit to London in 1819, and, having been by him declared to be a variety of the Reed-Wren, was as such noticed by Sheppard and Whitear in their 'Catalogue of Norfolk and Suffolk Birds' (Trans. Linn. Soc. XV. p. 18), and was labelled accordingly in the Norwich Museum, to which it had been presented.'
A. H. Evans (1904) under 'The Birds of Cambridgeshire' in Marr & Shipley's Handbook to the Natural History of Cambridgeshire, p. 78, says: 'The first example brought to the notice of naturalists was shot in the month of May at Limpenhoe in Norfolk, by Mr. James Brown of Norwich, early in last century, and was submitted to Temminck, who happened to be in London in 1819.
Unfortunately he mistook it for a variety of the Reed Warbler, and, subsequently as it seems, for Cetti's Warbler, so that when Mr. G. R. Gray in 1840 received two specimens from Mr. Baker, of Melbourn in Cambridgeshire, said, but perhaps wrongly, to have been procured near Duxford he simply referred them to Savi's new species, in ignorance of the previous discovery.'
Riviere (1930: 61) adds: '...was obtained by the Rev. J. Brown at Limpenhoe during the month of May, probably in - and certainly not later than - the year 1819.'
Ticehurst (1932: 140) adds: 'The first British specimen, now in the Norwich Museum (No. 63b), was obtained in May in the early part of the last century at Limpenhoe, near Reedham, but four miles from the Suffolk boundary.'
2). c. 1820 Norfolk Strumpshaw, shot, undated, now at Castle Museum, Norwich.
(Lubbock, 1879; Yarrell, 1871-85; Riviere, 1930).
History Southwell, Editor (1879: 54, 2nd ed.) in Lubbock's Fauna of Norfolk, in a footnote, says: 'A second example was obtained by the same person [Brown] from Strumpshaw, and was presented to Mr. Lombe, with whose collection it passed into the Norwich Museum.'
Alfred Newton (1871-74 (1): 390, 4th ed.) in Yarrell's British Birds, says: 'Subsequently a second example was obtained by Mr. Brown at Strumpshaw in the same county, and this is now in the Lombe Collection at Wymondham.'
Riviere (1930: 61) adds: 'Shortly afterwards Brown obtained a second specimen, shot by a marshman at Strumpshaw.'
3). 1840 Norfolk South Walsham, pair, shot, summer, both now at Castle Museum, Norwich.
(Lubbock, 1845, 1879; Yarrell, 1871-85; Southwell, 1890; Riviere, 1930).
History Southwell, Editor (1879: 53, 2nd ed.) in Lubbock's Fauna of Norfolk, says: 'A pair of Savi's Warbler were sent to Mr. Gurney from South Walsham, in the spring of 1841; one of these birds is in the [Norwich] Museum.'
Further, in a footnote, he adds: 'Of a pair killed at South Walsham in 1843 (not 1841 as stated above) one was presented by Mr. Gurney to the Norwich Museum, the other to Mr. Heysham, of Carlisle, at whose sale it was purchased by Mr. Gurney and sent to rejoin its companion in our Museum, which thus possesses four specimens of this rare bird.'
Southwell, Editor (1890 (3): 386) in Stevenson's Birds of Norfolk, under 'Appendix B' says: 'I am indebted to Prof. Newton for the following extract from a letter written by Mr. Gurney to Mr. Heysham, of Carlisle, bearing date "January 15, 1841", which clearly proves that the pair of birds recorded (Vol. I. p. 112) as having been shot at South Walsham "in the summer of 1843", (This statement was no doubt based upon that in The Zoologist for 1846 (p. 1308), and the error, arising probably from an accidental misprint, has hitherto escaped observation) were killed in May, 1840.
Mr. Gurney wrote, "I am extremely glad that the bird I sent thee turns out to be the S. luscinioides (what is the English name of the bird for I hate Latin?) & I beg thou wilt accept it as such. It is the male bird of a pair that were killed last May at South Walsham, a marshy parish about ten miles from here. The female I placed at the time in our Norwich Museum. The only differences which I noticed when they were sent to me (I had them in the flesh) between them and the specimens of the Reed Wren which I had previously seen, were that they were somewhat larger, brown instead of olive, and somewhat more rounded or rather more lanceolate in the shape of the end of the tail, which by the way was, I think, a little larger than in the common sort. Both kinds had a head like a Nightingale in point of shape".
It may here be observed that it was not until October, 1840, that notice of the species as a British bird was published. As previously mentioned (Vol. I. p. 112), Mr. Heysham's bird was subsequently procured for the Norwich Museum, which, by the transfer of the Lombe collection, now contains the two oldest known pairs of British specimens.'
Riviere (1930: 61) adds: 'The next two birds, a male and female, were killed at South Walsham in the summer of 1840 (Birds of Norfolk, Vol. III. Appendix B, p. 386), and not, as related by Stevenson, in 1843. Of these, J. H. Gurney, sen., presented one to the Norwich collection and one to P. C. Heysham, of Carlisle.'
5). c. 1842 Cambridgeshire Baits Bite, two, obtained, undated, now at Saffron Walden Museum.
(W. Yarrell, Zoologist 1843: 79; Yarrell, 1845; Yarrell, 1871-85).
History W. Yarrell (1843) in The Zoologist, 1st series, Vol. I. pp. 79-80, says: 'The latest additions to the catalogue of our British birds are the following: - Savi's Warbler. Joseph Clarke, Esq., of Saffron Walden, has also obtained one or more examples of this species, which are placed in the Museum at Saffron Walden.'
Yarrell (1845 (1): 293-294, 2nd ed.) says: 'Since that time [1840] Mr. Joseph Clarke of Saffron Walden, has obtained a pair of these birds, which are deposited in the Museum at Saffron Walden, and were obligingly devoted for a time to my use.'
Alfred Newton (1871-74 (1): 391, 4th ed.) in Yarrell's British Birds, says: 'Soon afterwards [1840], or at least prior to 1843, Mr. Joseph Clarke of Saffron Walden, obtained a pair, as is believed, from the same locality, and these specimens, which were for a time obligingly devoted to the use of this work, are preserved in the museum of that town. From information which has been most kindly supplied to the Editor by Mr. Bond and Mr. John Brown, of Cambridge, both of whom have long been in the habit of making entomological excursions in the rapidly diminishing fen-country, it would appear that the specimens just mentioned, as well as some others from the same district afterwards, were obtained through the intervention of one Harvey, the lock-keeper at Baitsbight [sic] on the River Cam.'
7). 1845 Cambridgeshire Near Baits Bite, obtained, May.
(J. E. Harting, Zoologist 1889: 413-414).
History J. E. Harting (1889) in The Zoologist, 3rd series, Vol. XIII. pp. 413-414, on Frederick Bond's bird collection, says: 'In Case 9, besides three examples of the Grasshopper Warbler, and an albino Sedge Warbler (from Lewes, Sussex, Sept., 1860), the most remarkable bird of the group is Savi's Warbler, Acrocephalus luscinioides (Savi), a single specimen, labelled "Fen near Baitsbight [sic], Cambridge, May, 1845".
From information supplied by Mr. Bond to Prof. Newton (cf. Yarrell's Brit. Birds, 4th ed. Vol. I. p. 391) it would appear that the specimen just mentioned, as well as some others from the same district afterwards, were obtained through the intervention of one Harvey, the lock-keeper, at Baitsbight [sic], on the River Cam. "At that time a large extent of fen in the neighbourhood was overgrown with one of the social sedges (Cladium mariscus), which towards autumn was regularly cut, and, being made into bundles, was carried by water to Cambridge, to serve as kindling for fires. The sedge-cutters used commonly to find many old nests of singular construction in the course of their work, - nests which could not be assigned to any known kinds of fen-birds; and this fact was learned by Harvey, who dealt in various objects of Natural History.
The people of the district were also aware of a reddish brown bird, having a peculiar song, often heard at night, not altogether unlike that of the Grasshopper Warbler or "Reeler", but still quite distinct; and this bird they called indifferently the 'Brown', 'Red', or 'Night Reeler'. Instigated by his customers, Harvey at length procured from the fen-men specimens of this bird, and a few years later its fresh nests and eggs.
The earliest of the former so obtained seem to have passed into Mr. Baker's hands; and the first of the latter, taken in May, 1845, were purchased by Mr. Bond, who distributed the eggs to several of his friends, - among others to Yarrell, to Newman, by whom they were described (Zoologist, 1846, p. 1212), and to Hewitson, who in the same year, figured a specimen in his Eggs of British Birds, Pl. XXV". "Thus", adds Professor Newton (tom. cit., p. 392, note), "Mr. Bond is entitled to the merit of having been the first to bring the discovery of the eggs and very peculiar nest of this species to our knowledge of naturalists". He presented one of the nests to the British Museum, and a representation of it forms the final vignette to the article on Savi's Warbler in the latest edition of Yarrell's standard work.'
8). 1848 Norfolk South Walsham, killed, summer.
(Yarrell, 1871-85; Riviere, 1930).
History Alfred Newton (1871-74 (1): 392-393, 4th ed.) in Yarrell's British Birds, says: 'Returning now to Norfolk, the scene of the original finding of the species, Mr. Gurney, obtained a pair of birds killed at South Walsham, and Mr. Frere has one from the same locality.'
Riviere (1930: 61) says: 'A fifth specimen [for Norfolk], killed at South Walsham in 1848, was in the collection of the Rev. H. T. Frere. At the sale of his birds in 1891 it was, I learn from Sir Bartle Frere, bought by Cole the Norwich taxidermist. It was afterwards acquired for the Connop collection, where it still is, this collection being now incorporated with that of Mr. W. R. Lysaght.'
Comment These collections later went to the City of Birmingham Museum.
9). 1856 Norfolk Surlingham, shot, 7th June, now at Castle Museum, Norwich.
(Eds., Field 24th Sep., 1887: 486; Riviere, 1930; Lack, 1934; Taylor, Seago, Allard & Dorling, 1999).
History In an Editorial (1887) in The Field of 24th Sep., Vol. LXX. p. 486, they say: 'On the 12th inst. Messrs. Spelman sold by auction, at Norwich, the collection of Norfolk birds formed by Mr. H. Stephenson [sic], the well-known ornithologist. Among the buyers were Mr. T. Southwell, representing the Norfolk and Norwich Museum, and Mr. Tuke, representing the Saffron Walden Museum. Among the principal lots sold during the day the following may be mentioned: Savi's Warbler, taken on Surlingham Broad in June, 1856, £7.7s. (Mr. Clowes).'
Riviere (1930: 61) says: 'The last known example, formerly in Stevenson's collection, was shot at Surlingham on 7th June 1856. At Stevenson's death this bird came into the possession of J. J. Colman, and is now in Mr. Russell Colman's collection at Crown Point.'
10). 1908 Fair Isle No locality, two, female shot, 14th May, now at National Museums of Scotland (NMSZ 1908.94.19).
(W. E. Clarke, Annals of Scottish Natural History 1909: 73; Eds., British Birds 2: 422; Clarke, 1912; Eds., British Birds 6: 151; H. E. Axell & G. J. Jobson, British Birds 65: 229; Thom, 1986).
History Wm. Eagle Clarke (1909) in the Annals of Scottish Natural History, Vol. XVIII. p. 73, says: 'The appearance of this species at Fair Isle during the spring must be regarded as one of the most interesting events in British ornithology for many years. This bird was formerly a summer visitor to the fens of East Anglia, but ceased to be a native bird over fifty years ago, and is not known to have visited us since. That it should have reappeared in Britain at a locality so far removed from its ancient English haunts is, indeed, most remarkable. Even Heligoland, with its unrivalled record for feathered rarities, cannot boast of having Savi's Warbler amongst its distinguished visitors. Needless to say, this bird has not hitherto been known to visit Scotland.'
In an Editorial (1909) in British Birds, Vol. II. pp. 422-423, they say: 'In the last issue of the Annals of Scottish Natural History (1909, pp. 69-75) Mr. W. Eagle Clarke gives a report on the observations made on this now well-known island during 1908. The results are even more extraordinary than in previous years (cf. Vol. I. pp. 233 and 381), and this may be due to the fact that by the generosity of friends Mr. Clarke has been enabled to install a regular observer in the person of George Stout, a youthful inhabitant of the island, who had already shown himself an apt pupil.
Beyond this important arrangement Mr. Clarke himself spent six weeks on the island in the autumn. Mr. Clarke's report is this year confined to those species which are additions to the fauna of the island, and he tells us that a great mass of information is reserved for publication in a further contribution. In those occurrences which are referred to, however, there is a most unfortunate lack of detail, which greatly lessens their interest.
The list of Fair Island birds is now brought up to the remarkable total of 185. We learn that Mr. Eagle Clarke has had the good fortune to secure the interest of the proprietor of the island in the investigations, and we understand that Mr. Clarke has now been granted the sole right to shoot on the island.
The following is a brief summary of the most notable items: - Savi's Warbler (Locustella luscinioides). - The occurrence of this species in the spring is truly, as Mr. Clarke says, one of the most interesting events in British ornithology for many years. Since it became extinct as a breeding species in 1856 it has never been identified with certainty in England, and it has never before been known to visit Scotland.'
Clarke (1912 (2): 69) under 'A Year at Fair Isle' in George Stout's diary of 1908, says: '14th May - The Savi's Warblers (there were two of them) were the wildest birds I (George Stout) ever came across. They were pursued up and down a burn for hours ere one of them was obtained for identification. When disturbed, they would rise from among the cover and fly a short distance, and then literally dive into the grass etc., with which the sides of the ditch were thickly clothed. One of them was actually observed swimming across a small pool of water. A Grasshopper Warbler and several Sedge Warblers were seen at the same place.'
In an Editorial (1912) in British Birds, Vol. VI. p. 151, under 'Additional records for Fair Isle and St Kilda', they say: 'In his Studies in Bird-migration, Mr. Eagle Clarke gives a good deal of hitherto unpublished information about the rarities observed in Fair Isle and St. Kilda, and a few new facts about those in the Flannans and Sule Skerry.
The most important additions thus made to the details given in our Hand-List of British Birds are as follows: - Savi's Warbler (Locustella l. luscinioides). - Fair Isle: Two were seen when the one was obtained. The date is May 14th.'
H. E. Axell & G. J. Jobson (1972) in British Birds, Vol. LXV. p. 229, say: 'In the long period between cessation and resumption of breeding, the only records now accepted of Savi's Warbler were of two vagrants, one of which was shot, on Fair Isle, Shetland, on 14th May 1908 (Clarke 1909)...'
Comment This was the first record of this species after extinction in England, 1856.
1950-57 RECORD
12). 1954 Cambridgeshire Wicken Fen, singing male, 2nd June to mid-August.
(F. M. Boston, British Birds 49: 326-327; W. H. Thorpe, British Birds 50: 169-171; Bircham, 1989).
History F. M. Boston (1956) in British Birds, Vol. XLIX. pp. 326-327, says: 'On 2nd June 1954, at 18.00 hours F.M.B. heard what appeared to be an unusual Grasshopper Warbler (Locustella naevia) at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire. The reeling was in unexpectedly short bursts and lower in pitch than normal. Time running short, further investigation had to wait. On 5th June at 08.00 hours, F.M.B., D. M. Griffin and C. D. T. Minton revisited Wicken to try to see the bird. It was soon located, singing, within 50 yards of where it was first heard, with the same short bursts of reeling, on the edge of a willow bush. It was observed for only about 1½ minutes, but in good light at 25-30 yards range and was at once seen not to be a Grasshopper Warbler by the rufous brown colour of the back and lack of streaking. These factors together with such short bursts of reeling indicated a Savi's Warbler (L. luscinioides). It then vanished and, although heard again, only fleeting views were obtained later.
On 8th June (11.00 hours) the bird was again well seen at 50 yards by I. C. T. Nisbet, M. J. M. Larkin and F.M.B. As before, its song indicated its whereabouts. On 13th July (evening) an unusually close approach (3-6 yards) was allowed and a detailed inspection was possible (D.M.G. and Miss W. M. Irving). The bird was seen and heard on several other occasions until the middle of August by various observers - including E. M. Nicholson, who has had experience of the species abroad - but it was neither seen nor heard in the summer of 1955.
The bird's song was one of its characteristic features and consisted of short bursts of reeling, generally agreed to be lower in pitch than the reeling of Grasshopper Warblers nearby. E.M.N. and Dr. W. H. Thorpe compared recordings of this with recordings of Grasshopper Warblers and found some significant differences. D.M.G. heard a Grasshopper Warbler singing, shortly after hearing the Savi's Warbler, and noted the following differences from the latter: (1) higher in pitch; (2) much longer bursts - maximum 50 sec, minimum 15 sec, and average 30 sec.; this compares with average bursts of reeling of 6-8 sec. (timed by several observers) of the Savi's Warbler; (3) faster vibrations; (4) more mechanical and less musical.
The Savi's Warbler had a preference for singing from a small group of willows - in particular one bush where it generally sat in an exposed position, in an upright attitude with its tail depressed to an almost vertical position, and the whole body shivering. The head also turned from side to side and the bright yellow gape became plainly visible. Only once was it seen more than 50 yards (when 200 yards) from the favourite bush. The cessation of singing heralded a disappearance from view. Most observers agreed that the Savi's Warbler was larger than the Grasshopper Warblers, appearing rather thickly built by comparison. I.C.T.N. noted it as being larger especially at the hind end, which gave it a decidedly pear-shaped appearance.
Detailed description: - Forehead, crown and nape - brown, lightly tinged rufous, completely unstreaked. Ear-coverts - light brown. Superciliaries - a very indistinct streak, of a lighter brown, from the eye backwards. Back and mantle - brown with a rufous tinge (less than on head), unstreaked. Rump - rather reddish brown. Tail - relatively long and broad, rounded elliptically at the end; brown (shade not agreed). Wings - brown but with marked rufous suffusion on primaries; on close examination, very fine dark streaks were visible, mainly on primaries and wing-coverts. The streaking, which was rather inconspicuous, seemed to be formed by thin, dark edgings to the feathers. Throat - conspicuously white or grey-white (creamy in some lights). Breast and belly - buff-wash colour, becoming more intense on flanks which were markedly rufous-brown. Soft brown band across lower breast. Undertail-coverts - buff. Legs - light flesh-brown. Bill - medium pinkish-brown; rather long. Gape - chrome yellow contrasting sharply with rather darker remainder of bill. Britain has had only 3 records of Savi's this century, though until about 100 years ago the species still nested in several localities, including Wicken Fen.'
W. H. Thorpe (1957) in British Birds, Vol. L. pp. 169-171, says: 'Song. - The 1954 record of Savi's Warbler (Locustella luscinioides) in Cambridgeshire (antea, Vol. XLIX. pp. 326-327) raises the question of the value of song in the identification of Locustella species.
By an unfortunate error I was quoted as having noted "significant differences" between the recordings of the bird on Wicken Fen, made by Dr. P. Marler and myself, and those of the Grasshopper Warbler (L. naevia), whereas the differences I noted I regarded as only very doubtfully, if at all, significant, Unfortunately, it was not possible at the time to assess the value of these differences since no authentic recording of Savi's Warbler was then available. This has now been remedied, however, by Eric Simms' excellent recording of Savi's Warbler in Spain (B.B.C. Record Library), and so it is possible to take the matter a step further. Since recordings of the River Warbler (L. fluviatilis) are available as well, that species has also been included. I am very grateful to the B.B.C. for having put their whole collection of records at my disposal for study....To return now to the problematical Wicken bird.
This had average bursts of 6-8 seconds, 34 double pulses per second, and a frequency of 4500 - 7000 cycles per second with main peak at 5000. Thus the two most reliable features strongly suggest that the bird was naevia, not luscinioides. We must, however, remember firstly that we do not yet have sufficient records to allow us to be dogmatic about the range of frequency and pulse rate of the species as a whole: a good deal more material is desirable. Secondly, it is just possible that a single unmated luscinioides in a population of naevia might learn to sing like the latter. I should be surprised if this is the explanation, for we have evidence (H. Stadler, Verh. VI. Int. Orn. Kongr Copenhagen, 1926, pp. 338-357) that the song of naevia is inborn and one would expect that of luscinioides to be so too - though we now know enough about bird-song to know that this does not necessarily follow even with two species as closely related as these are.
But it is at least clear that the vocal Performance of the Wicken bird cannot be used to support its identification as luscinioides; such a conclusion must rely entirely on the other evidence.' [We regret the misinterpretation of Dr. Thorpe's views, but welcome his contribution to the analysis of differences between various Locustella songs. Further recordings of both naevia and luscinioides are desirable, and efforts to obtain these are in prospect. Meanwhile the identification of the Wicken Fen bird is firmly established by its plumage description, and the question how far its utterance may have deviated from the normal range for Savi's Warbler must await further material, as adequate data are not yet available. - Eds.]
Accepted locally (Bircham 1989).
NOT PROVEN
0). 1840 Cambridgeshire Fowlmere, two, obtained, spring.
(G. R. Gray, Annals & Magazine of Natural History 6: 155-156; W. Yarrell, Zoologist 1843: 79-80; Yarrell, 1845; Lack, 1934; J. S. Clark, Cambridgeshire Bird Report 2004: 141-142).
[I. C. T. Nisbet, British Birds 54: 345].
History George Robert Gray (1841) in the Annals & Magazine of Natural History, Vol. VI. pp. 155-156, says: 'Amongst the new specimens of British birds which have been lately presented to the British Museum by Mr. J. Baker, was one that was considered a Reed Wren (Sylvia arundinacea), but on comparing it with other specimens it was at once suspected to be a distinct bird; and further, it agreed with none of those at present recorded as being found in this country. On investigation it proved to be a rare species even in the south of Europe, and one that was first noticed by Savi....The specimen was obtained, with a second, by the above mentioned person last spring in the fens of Cambridgeshire; these were all that were procured.
The following is a short specific description: - Sylvia luscinioides, Savi. General colour above castanaceous brown, with the tail very inconspicuously barred with darker; line over the eyes, breast, sides and under tail-coverts paler than the upper parts; throat and middle of the abdomen albescent, the former slightly spotted triangularly with darker. The first quill very short, and the second longest of all. Upper mandible brown, lower and feet yellowish brown. Total length, 5.25 in; bill, three twelfths; wings, 2.5 in; tail, 2.25 in; tarsi nine twelfths.'
W. Yarrell (1843) in The Zoologist, 1st series, Vol. I. pp. 79-80, says: 'The latest additions to the catalogue of our British birds are the following: - Savi's Warbler. Two specimens of this warbler, obtained in the fens of Cambridgeshire, are now in the British Museum: they were noticed by Mr. Geo. R. Gray in the Annals of Natural History, VI. 155.'
Yarrell (1845 (1): 293, 2nd ed.) says: 'The first specimens were obtained in the fens of Cambridgeshire, in the spring of 1840, by Mr. J. Baker, and by him presented to the British Museum; of these birds a notice was published by Mr. George R. Gray, in the sixth volume of the Annals of Natural History, page 155.'
Alfred Newton (1871-74 (1): 391, 4th ed.) in Yarrell's British Birds, in a footnote, says: 'In a communication to Mr. Stevenson by Mr. H. T. Frere, the latter says that many years before, specimens had been sent from Norfolk to the British Museum by the late Mr. Jary. These are not forthcoming.'
Lack (1934: 65) says: 'Described by Gray as new for Britain from a specimen obtained in Cambridgeshire by Baker in 1840. (One had been obtained in Norfolk in 1819, but this was mistakenly referred to another species).'
Comment I. C. T. Nisbet (1961) in British Birds, Vol. LIV. p. 345, says: 'Baker was described as "a reliable naturalist" by Lack (1934), but many other specimens with British labels which he sold to the [British] museum are highly improbable, and in the absence of independent evidence it seems best to regard them all as doubtful.'
However, J. S. Clark (2004) in the Cambridgeshire Bird Report pp. 141-142, accepts this as the Cambridgeshire first record! Probably imported. Not acceptable.
0). 1850 Essex/Greater London Dagenham, nest, 14th May.
(J. Green, Zoologist 1850: 2849).
[A. G. More, Ibis 7: 1, 119, 425; Christy, 1890].
History J. Green of Wilson Street, Finsbury (1850) in The Zoologist, 1st series, Vol. VIII. p. 2849, says: 'I took a nest of Savi's Warbler at Dagenham on the 14th of May [1850]. The nest was built solely of reeds, and exactly resembled that represented in The Zoologist (p. 1307). It contained five eggs uniformly freckled all over with minute dark brown spots.'
A. G. More (1865) in The Ibis, Vol. VII. pp. 1, 119, & 425 doubted this record.
Christy (1890: 88-89) also square bracketed this record for Essex.
Comment J. Green was a dealer and was not trusted by Witherby. Not acceptable.
0). 1866 Buckinghamshire Eton, seen, June.
(Lord Clifton, Zoologist 1867: 704).
[Clark Kennedy, 1868; Fraser & Youngman, 1976].
History Lord Clifton of Eton (1867) in The Zoologist, 2nd series, Vol. II. p. 704, undated but in the April, 1867, edition, says: 'Last June, in the neighbourhood of Eton, I saw a bird which I am pretty sure was Savi's Warbler; it was in a low hedge which I am in the habit of passing nearly every morning, and the favourite resort of Sedge Warblers, close to the River Thames: having heard a harsh note, like that of the Sedge Warbler, I looked for the bird, and got a fair sight of it for a moment while sitting on the top of the hedge, when I discovered it was no common warbler, but a bird with a reddish brown back, with (I think) a black line across the wings: the cheeks and breast were greyish white; I thought it would prove to be Savi's Warbler, but I had no idea how closely Morris's plate would describe my bird.'
Clark Kennedy (1868: 173) adds: 'I am rather uncertain about this being the real Savi's Warbler, but I give the statement for what it is worth.'
Comment No identification details for this sight record of a difficult species. Not acceptable.
0). 1872 Cambridgeshire No locality, two, obtained, undated, now at Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
(Howse, 1899).
[BOU, 1971].
History Howse (1899: 54) in his Index-Catalogue of the Birds in the Hancock Collection, says: 'Case 136. 1 and 2. From Cambridge, 1872.'
Alfred Newton (1871-74 (1): 393, 4th ed.) in Yarrell's British Birds, says: 'Mr. Stevenson has a bird which was shot near Surlingham in June, 1856, and this is the last specimen known to have been obtained in the kingdom. It may be almost confidently asserted that the bird has not been noticed in any other part of England beside the localities named, and is certainly unknown in Wales and Scotland.'
BOU (1971) state that they disappeared around the mid 1850s.
Comment The last known example was in 1856, so presumably they might have been received in 1872 from Cambridgeshire and not obtained that year. No supporting details of who obtained them, where they were obtained and the date they were obtained, which all adds uo to being very suspicious. Not acceptable.
0). 1874 Suffolk River Alde, Iken, seen, September.
(Harting, 1872; Ticehurst, 1932; Payn, 1978).
[Hartert et al., 1912; H. E. Axell & G. J. Jobson, British Birds 65: 229].
History Harting (1872: 89) says: 'I have once, and only once, seen this species alive in England. This was in a large reed-bed close to the river, near Iken, in Suffolk, in the month of September, 1874. The bird first attracted my attention by the very rufous colour of the dorsal plumage, and as I succeeded in obtaining a near view of it, I feel confident that I was not mistaken in the species.'
Ticehurst (1932: 139) says: 'The late Mr. Harting informed me that it was in a reed-bed by the south bank of the Alde not far from Iken Decoy.'
H. E. Axell & G. J. Jobson (1972) in British Birds, Vol. LXV. p. 229, say: 'From 7th June 1856 at Surlingham, when the last known resident was shot, until 1960, it has been unknown as a summer resident in Britain.'
0). 1878 Norfolk Near Diss, seen, c. 27th April.
(H. Stevenson, Transactions of the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists' Society 2: 595).
[Taylor, Seago, Allard & Dorling, 1999].
History Henry Stevenson (1874-79) in the Transactions of the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists' Society, Vol. II. p. 595, says: 'Mr. Frere also states that about the 27th of April, when walking with his wife near a small osier-bed in his neighbourhood, they recognized the note of this species, with which they are both familiar, and after watching a few minutes they saw a bird flit along a ditch overgrown with thick herbage and settle within ten yards of them, where its Nightingale-like plumage, size and form, confirmed there first impression. Though looked for several times after it was not seen again.'
Not accepted locally (Taylor, Seago, Allard & Dorling 1999).
Comment Mr. Frere lived at Burston Rectory, near Diss. No identification details for this sight record of a difficult species. Not acceptable.
0). 1893 Sussex Eastbourne, seen, spring.
(F. Wise, Sussex and Hampshire Naturalist 1: 43).
[Walpole-Bond, 1938].
History Walpole-Bond (1938 (1): 368) says: 'Mr. F. Wise (Sussex and Hampshire Naturalist, Vol. I. p. 43) made known the arrival of a Savi's Warbler at Eastbourne in the spring, but I don't think we can accept his bald statement as a record.'
Comment No identification details for this sight record of a difficult species. Not acceptable.
0). 1897 Lincolnshire Great Cotes, seen, 24th May.
(J. Cordeaux, Naturalist 23: 239; Smith & Cornwallis, 1955).
[Hartert et al., 1912; Smith & Cornwallis, 1955; H. E. Axell & G. J. Jobson, British Birds 65: 229].
History John Cordeaux of Great Cotes (1897) in the new series of The Naturalist, Vol. XXIII. p. 239, says: 'Savi's Warbler. On May 24th, when driving in the marsh, I saw a small warbler, presumably of this species, fly upwards from a bush on the side of a reedy drain. It rose like a Whitethroat, or soaring pipit, with wings elevated, and descended laterally, still keeping the wings raised - in fact, exactly as a Whitethroat does. In colour a bright reddish-brown, lighter underneath; tail much rounded, and kept expanded in flight. I thought I distinguished a trilling note on descending. It came down into the bush, and commenced to skulk, and I did not see it again. I have seen in September a very similar looking warbler in the marsh in heavy crops of wheat, clinging to the top of some prominent stalk, which, on the least alarm, dropped at once into the dense cover, and one I shot at, and probably only wounded, did not succeed in picking it up.'
H. E. Axell & G. J. Jobson (1972) in British Birds, Vol. LXV. p. 229, say: 'From 7th June 1856 at Surlingham, when the last known resident was shot, until 1960, it has been unknown as a summer resident in Britain.'
Comment Not specifically identified. Not acceptable.
0). 1897 Buckinghamshire Olney, seen, May.
(Saunders, 1899; Hartert & Rothschild, 1905).
[H. E. Axell & G. J. Jobson, British Birds 65: 229; Lack & Ferguson, 1993].
History Hartert & Rothschild (1905 (1): 132) in the Victoria County History of Buckinghamshire, say: 'In Saunders Manual of British Birds, ed. 2 (1899), p. 92, we read: "There is some evidence that this species was noticed in May, 1897, in the Humber district, as well as near Olney, Bucks".
E. Hartert wrote to Mr. Saunders for more information, and the latter kindly replied as follows: "In reply to your inquiry about the supposed occurrence of Savi's Warbler near Olney, Bucks, I have to say that my informant was Mr. C. J. Wilson, M.B.O.U., an old friend of mine and an exceedingly good field-ornithologist. The bird, the note, the locality, all tended so strongly to show that the bird was a Savi's Warbler that I put it in print. There is no other record". One of us wrote to Mr. Wilson himself, and this gentleman assures us that he is fully convinced that the "Savi's Warbler is a just record", as the bird was close to him for some minutes.'
H. E. Axell & G. J. Jobson (1972) in British Birds, Vol. LXV. p. 229, say: 'From 7th June 1856 at Surlingham, when the last known resident was shot, until 1960, it has been unknown as a summer resident in Britain.'
Not accepted locally (Lack & Ferguson 1993).
Comment No identification details for this sight record of a difficult species. Not acceptable.
0). Pre 1916 Sussex Near Eastbourne, seen, undated.
(Arnold, 1936; Walpole-Bond, 1938).
[Walpole-Bond, 1938].
History Walpole-Bond (1938 (1): 368) says: 'Mr. R. C. Burton in Arnold's Birds of Eastbourne, p. 30, reckons he saw one near Eastbourne prior to 1916, but I don't think we can accept this bare statement as a record.'
Comment No identification details for this sight record of a difficult species. Not acceptable.
0). 1916 Sussex St Leonards-on-Sea, male, obtained, 30th May, now at Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery (Acc. No. 1962Z10.671).
(J. B. Nichols, British Birds 10: 167; Watson, 2010).
[E. M. Nicholson & I. J. Ferguson-Lees, British Birds 55: 299-384 HR].
History J. B. Nichols (1916) in British Birds, Vol. X. p. 167, says: 'A male Savi's Warbler (Locustella l. luscinioides) was shot at the old brickfield in West St. Leonards, on May 30th, 1916. It was examined in the flesh by Mr. Ruskin Butterfield and also by Mr. H. W. Ford-Lindsay. Except for those which occurred in Fair Isle in May, 1908 this seems to be the only authentic occurrence of the bird in the British Isles since about 1856.'
Accepted locally (Walpole-Bond 1938 (1): 367).
Watson (2010) in detailing the J. L. Auden collection in the Birmingham Museum lists a female specimen that was obtained at the Old Brickfield, West St Leonards, Sussex, on 30th May 1916, adding that it was bought at the sale of J. B. Nichols collection, who had bought it from G. Bristow on 10th June 1916.
Comment Hastings rarity. Not acceptable. Male or female or both?
0). 1956 Cambridgeshire Wicken Fen, 28th April to 13th May.
(D. I. M. Wallace, Cambridge Bird Club Report 1956: 23).
[D. I. M. Wallace, Cambridge Bird Club Report 1956: 23].
History D. I. M. Wallace (1956) in the Cambridge Bird Club Report, p. 23, recording the record in square brackets, says: 'Wicken Fen, 1 on April 28th, heard on several occasions in May, being seen again on 13th (D.K.B., D.F., G.H.B., G.L.S., T.C.S., D.I.M.W. et al.). No observer was able to supply a fully satisfactory description of this bird; while the observations present in total a strong probability of occurrence, the record cannot be fully accepted (D.I.M.W.).'
