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WillemSvdMerwe — Willow Warbler
#bird #migrate #migrating #migration #warbler #willow #phylloscopus #trochilus
Published: 2018-01-15 19:40:03 +0000 UTC; Views: 1529; Favourites: 139; Downloads: 18
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Description
The tiny Willow Warbler, Phylloscopus trochilus, performs an amazing yearly migration. Birds from Western, Northern and Eastern Europe, and northern to north-eastern Asia, all go to Africa when winter comes round the northern hemisphere. Some end up in Africa just north of the equator, but many come all the way down to South Africa, including birds from Siberia! These warbler arrive here where I live in Spring, giving themselves away with their pleasant warbled songs. They're not often noticed, but are quite cute little things. This is a very small acrylic painting, hence the small size of the uploaded pic here.Related content
Comments: 41
You like? Thanks!
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Lovely depiction of a bird I'm all too familiar with. It's amazing what journeys they undertake, and how in doing so they can (unknowingly) connect people from across the globe. I didn't know they sang their song down in Africa as well! One would think it's reserved for the breeding season. Once again very good use of detail, it's impressive how much you can put into such a small painting.
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Thanks! They're faves of mine.
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This painting is beautiful, it expresses the anticipation of the bird so well. So typical and natural bird behaviour that is very difficult to portray.
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Thanks very much, I'm happy you appreciate my work!
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Beautiful painting. I love the colors, the blurred background, and the texture of the canvas (?) here - it makes your painting different from others, in a specific way 
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Thanks a lot! Yes, it's on a canvas (stretched over a small piece of wood). I'm trying to develop my own style!
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It's so brave to sit between all those spines 
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Thanks! Not as brave as those lemurs who jump from spiny tree to spiny tree ...
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Beautiful painting of a nondiscript, but pretty little bird! Their enormous migration is fascinating - I wonder if I could have seen the one you painted here in Germany last summer?
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Glad you like, thanks! Might be!
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Glad you think so, thanks!
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Nice! Didn't know they migrated so far into Africa.
I rarely see or hear them, but common chiffchaff are something I hear a lot here once spring starts. They look basically the same.
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I know, but Chiffchaffs don't come as far as South Africa, so we only have the willow warblers here; they're possible to mistake for olive-tree warblers or for icterine warblers, but their voice is distinctive. Thanks for the comment!
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Ah, I see. Didn't know that either.
You're welcome!
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Woah, so these guys that I hear singing every spring migrate as far as South-Africa, that's incredible!
It makes you realize that these birds are not just part of our country, they are just as important to the nature where you live!
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Yep! We get Scandinavian, Siberian and western European willow warblers all mixed together here, but the ones from Finland and Sweden are the commonest. They're not hard to spot, take some time and I'm sure you'll be able to see one. They are indeed very much a part of nature here, they're one of the commonest small insect-eating bird species we have here in the spring and summer.
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Oh wow, that is so amazing, so they travel there from all over Europe and Asia, so cool!
Then they're even more common over there I guess, if birds from such a large geographic area overwinters in the same spot!
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Thanks very much Jenny!
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