The video is best viewed on an iPad.

I was lucky enough to be shown this nest by a BTO registered ringer and nest finder on Dartmoor this week. With some real patience, fieldcraft and common sense I took some lovely photos and video. The Willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) is a small and common warbler that breeds on Dartmoor as well as in numerous other habitats and locations in the UK and Europe. They nest on the ground, for example in a depression, perhaps made by a cow's hoof on a bank, typically amongst grass and vegetation. The nest is  hard to find and even when I returned, after being shown it 12 hours earlier I really struggled to relocate it.  Once found I moved back to 30 yards or so and watched as the parents came in to feed the youngsters. Once I was really sure and confident that the birds were uncaring of me I moved just a tiny bit closer and then set up a video camera on to the nest. You can be assured that the birds were not disturbed at all or they would not have been coming in to feed the nestlings as you can see in  the video.  The footage took 40 minutes to film and in that time the parents visited 7 times, multiply that by 16 hours of daylight and you can see that the birds deliver food around 160 times in a day!  That's some kind of shift and a lot of prey needs to be available which includes all sorts of insects and caterpillars. 

As well as the Willow Warbler I was also privileged to be shown Whinchat nests with both eggs and others with nestlings.  It's sometimes hard to even find a Whinchat let alone find a nest so again this was a massive thrill for me. I plan to visit again today to film the activity at these nests. Again, the safety of the birds will be of paramount importance.  I would just like to mention at this point that I am a Schedule 1  licensed bird photographer and to get the licence  you need to fulfil a list of criteria which includes references from wildlife experts and senior members of the community as well as proving to Natural England that you have the necessary skills and acumen to photograph at a nest without disturbance. To whet the appetite here is the nest of a Whinchat which the BTO ringer checked and we took a quick photograph of.  Again the nest is on the ground and hidden away in the grass and vegetation.