What they like

Thick, messy edges along water. Reed, brambles, willow regrowth, nettles. Wet grassland with ditch banks. And above all: cover. This bird prefers a green tangle to a neat park. Do: leave banks ragged. Mowing? Staggered, not all at once. Put a strip of reed and rough vegetation along ditches and ponds. Plant hawthorn and blackthorn in hedges. Let bramble be bramble.

Ecological importance

A swift insect-eater. Takes beetles, flies, spiders and larvae from the scrub and reed. The more insects, the more song. And they themself is also food for sparrowhawk and cats: dense cover makes it fairer.

When in the Netherlands

All year round. Many birds winter here, and after mild winters they readily expands. He can be singing as early as midwinter.

Status

Not threatened. Increasing, especially in wet, sheltered areas with enough rough vegetation.