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Helpston's wildlife

Grasshopper Warbler

If you visit Castor Hanglands at dusk in late April or throughout May, you will hear one of local nature's most distinctive sounds - the loud, reeling of the male grasshopper warbler, singing from dense vegetation [click to listen].

Clare described hearing the grasshopper warblers one night in April 1825

Heard the cricket bird of grasshopper bunting last night making its odd chittering noise. It exactly resembles the noise that children make with their screekers as they are called - and it continues for a minute together before it stops and then starts agen.

Recent years have seen record numbers of grasshopper warblers locally. In 2004 there were at least 18 singing males, mainly found in the large area of new planting to the east of Castor Hanglands, just off the Ailsworth Road. The new plantation at the Hanglands is perfect habitat for them - hence the increase in numbers. As the plantation grows it will become less suitable and their numbers will fall again - but hopefully we have a few years yet to listen out for them.

The gropper (as it is known by ardent bird watchers) is a very secretive migrant bird. They arrive from winter quarters in Africa towards the end of April and can be heard singing alongside nightingales throughout May and early June at both Castor Hanglands and Bainton pits. But, just like the nightingale too, they are very seldom seen. They feed in the undergrowth, mouse like, rarely flying -why would you if you have to fly to Africa and back every year!