Last Sunday, a Western Orphean Warbler was found singing in the province of Namur. This was a first for Belgium and, although it was a very long way from Brussels, it was a lifer for me so I just had to give it a try! Early Monday morning, therefore, I set off on the two hour train journey followed by a brisk 1.5 hour walk without even knowing if the bird was still there. The scenery was wonderful as you can see above and I finally got there around 10:20 am to hear the bird had been singing all morning but had stopped just five minutes before I arrived. At least it hadn't flown! I thus started to wait while everyone else gradually left, satisfied with the views they'd had. Four hours later I was still waiting and there had been no sign of the bird whatsoever when it suddenly popped up into a bush for 1.5 seconds and promptly disappeared again. Over the next hour, it sang continuously and I got a couple more glimpses of it in flight but never really a satisfactory look at all of the features, although I did get to see its distinctive white eye. In the meantime, I'd been wandering off and exploring the surroundings, enjoying my first Yellowhammers, Garden Warbler and Red-backed Shrike of the year. I also photographed this orchid, which I only identified as my first Green-winged Orchid once I got home.
