Leijpark013

@leijpark013 · 02 Feb 2022

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Leijpark 013 Warbler

#leijpark013 #grasmus

Published by Thierry P. Dinjens · Yesterday at 5:20pm ·
In this time, we are trapped in the grip of the Coronavirus. We would almost forget that there were also other viruses around which, in some cases, we could get seriously ill. There is a virus that occurs in almost all areas of the world (with the exception of Antarctica) and has its origin in Egypt, near the banks of the Nile River, the West Nile virus. The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes and thus occurs everywhere where mosquitoes are. That doesn't have to be tiger mosquitoes; the home sting mosquito, the most common mosquito in our country, is notorious for transmitting the West Nile virus. You usually get some flu symptoms, but in rare cases, a brain infection or even paralysis occurs. We people are not the only ones who suffer from this. Birds are also plagued by the mosquitoes and two years ago a bird with the West Nile virus was found in our country. The same bird species can be found in the Leijpark: the Warbler.
The bird in the picture is a female; the male is characterized by a beautiful grey head missing from the female. Despite its name, the Warbler is not a direct family of the oh-so-known house sparrow. The Warbler is a passerine bird that itself is inconspicuous, but has a delicious singing voice. Now we won't hear it, because the Warbler is a migratory bird and the winter in our country is really too cold for them. She travels long distances in autumn and the bird we encountered in the Leij Park is now probably singing wonderfully in the thickets somewhere in Senegal or Mauritania; warblers from our country very often overwinter in the western part of the Sahel.
The female of the Warbler is a quirky type. She first, in the breeding season, lets the male build different nests. When finished, she inspects every nest thoroughly. A nest that does not meet its conditions leaves them left. If all the nests are inferior to her, she takes matters into her own hands and just builds her nest herself! Look, that's what I call a free-spirited type! She has two nests with eggs a year, about five eggs at a time.
The Leijpark lends itself perfectly to the Warbler, due to the presence of low thickets. We also see a lot of low bushes near the coast; there are many warblers there, but also in the Leijpark. Good park management can ensure that this beautiful songbird continues to visit the Leijpark. Hopefully the mosquitoes will leave her (and us) alone.