Common Whitethroat a summer guest in the UK

Whitethroats are migratory warblers that spend the winter in the Sahel, just south of the Sahara Desert in Africa. They arrive in the UK from mid to late April and usually leave again from August, though they can be seen well into September. 


Whitethroats are mainly found in scrubby habitats preferring low cover, including brambles and nettle patches and the bottom of hedgerows. This has led to the species gaining the local name of ‘nettlecreeper’.


While the average of a whitethroat is two years, the oldest bird that we know of seven-years-old. Ringed in August 2002, it was caught again in August 2009 at the same site. This is incredible for a small long-distance migrant which travels a 11,265km round trip annually, crossing the Sahara twice a year!


Taken on my local patch in Edinburgh May 2021