Willow Warbler Singing Like A Chiffy

Woodbury Common, Devon
I took another trip up to look at the Willow Warbler I saw yesterday which had black legs. I was curious as yesterday I noticed it was giving off an odd call. The best I can describe the call is a sped up Conmon Chiffchaff. I know Warblers can be excellent at mimicking but I have to admit I haven’t come across a Willow Warbler with this much talent. Perhaps I’ve just not been paying attention but I enjoyed listening to the bird. I wanted to double check just in case I was missing something.

I studied the bird for a while and as I did, it was plainly obvious it was a Willow Warbler. I though about the dark legs for a moment. This (as far as I know) means it could simply be a young bird that hasn’t reached breeding maturity yet. Leg colouration does change with age so I’m going to check in on this bird out from time to time to see if they have lightened. If they don’t, could this be a subspecies?

Now distinguishing grey looking Willow Warbler from Conmon Chiffchaff can be tricky enough if there’s no call and there’s poor views and I am in no way an expert in Willow Warbler subspecies so I’m just speculating. An interesting bird non the less.

Also on offer was a brief Garden Warbler (call only), a Male Eurasian Blackcap and a churring European Nightjar