What they like

Reed. Lots of reed. Ditch banks, ponds, marshes, reedbeds along canals. With some scrub behind for cover. In a garden or park? You'd need a really big garden, but if that's the case, make sure there's a pond with a wide, messy reed margin. Let it grow in thick.

Ecological importance

An insect-eater that's always on the go. Spiders, mosquitoes, flies, dragonfly larvae, caterpillars — away with them. Feeds its young an endless stream of tiny creatures. Is itself eaten by birds of prey and mustelids; the reed then provides just that bit of cover.

When in the Netherlands

Summer visitor. Usually arrives in April/May, sings into July, gone from August. Winters in Africa.

Status

Common, but sensitive to the loss of reed and wet, rough banks. Help it by managing banks in a nature-friendly way: gentle slopes, shallow water, leave the reed standing. Cut reed in phases (not all at once) and preferably in winter. Keep ditch edges herb-rich: purple loosestrife, water mint, marsh trefoil. Less tidy, more life.