A Cetti's warbler held a territory at Fowlmere in 2010 and there were two last year, but we have never been able to prove that they have attracted mates and bred - until now! Yesterday I saw four juveniles that had obviously just left their nest next to the path between Drewer Hide and the River Shep. Their presence was betrayed by their loud, sharp calls, and I was able to see that their tails were only half grown. This is normal for many passerines, which want to get away from their nest site as quickly as possible before a predator discovers it. The feathers will continue to grow quickly - food is abundant at the moment, judging from the number of mosquito bites I've recently acquired - and the young birds will be fully grown in a few days.
I had hoped to take a photo, but the birds were disturbed by a particularly noisy group of visitors who passed by at just the wrong moment. Funnily enough, they said they hadn't seen many birds on their walk round!
Doug