I'm told that this is the first time ever that one has been seen in Greater Manchester and that less than 10 a year are seen in the UK as a whole. I myself have been three times to find this bird and spent about nine hours of waiting with just a Chiffchaff, Wren and a few Linnets and Pied Wagtails being seen. The reason for the title is that the bird is a very active skulker in the brambles and never appears out in the open for long.
The photo below shows the bird feeding on a spider's egg sacks and was taken by our chairman David Shallcross on one of its rare appearances. It was featured in this week's Rare Bird Alert weekly roundup.
I am trying to get the original finder to write a brief report on how he found it, how it was first thought to be a Reed Warbler and how the story progressed to its final determination of being a Blyth's Reed Warbler - so watch this space.
UPDATE:
I've seen it now! Photos and report on my own blog: www.gt-birding-scrapbook.blogspot.com
UPDATE:
I've seen it now! Photos and report on my own blog: www.gt-birding-scrapbook.blogspot.com