Sedge Warbler
Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
Length 13cm

A well-marked summer visitor whose harsh, scratchy song is a familiar sound in many wetland habitats. Widespread and fairly common in Britain and Ireland, present from May to August. Has noticeably streaked plumage with sandy-brown upperparts and paler underparts; head shows distinctive dark and pale stripes. Favours marshy scrub and reedbeds but also found along surprisingly small ditches if vegetation cover is sufficiently dense. Utters chek alarm call.