Uncommon passage migrant and summer visitor that has bred.

The earliest record for Stevenage is of one at Astonbury on 27 April 1908.

Foster (1914) described Lesser Whitethroats as, “not so common in the Stevenage district as the Common Whitethroat.” Gladwin (1985) recorded that due partly to the removal and machine cutting of hedgerows Lesser Whitethroats had declined significantly in the cereal dominated arable farmlands of the County, but had spread into dense woodland edges and scrub along railway and motorway embankments, and were particularly common around Stevenage. 

They were recorded during the 1963 breeding season at Aston End and in the 1966 breeding season near Stevenage. Up to two were seen at Box Wood between 17 August and 26 September 1965 and, one was seen there on 26 June and 2 August 1966. One was seen at the Hertford Road on 17 June 1966.

In the 1970s and 80s records came from: Astonbury, Bedwell School, Box Wood (where 10 were ringed in 1980), Chells, Chells Manor, King George Playing Fields, Ridlins Marsh, Watery Grove.

In the 1990s they were recorded from: The Railway Station, Watery Grove.

Since 2000 they have been recorded from: Aston, Astonbury Manor, Aston End, Aston End Lane, Chesfield Park, Fairlands Valley Lakes and Park, Fishers Green, Glaxo, Great Ashby, Norton Green Tip, Novotel next to the A1m, Old London Road, Pryors Wood, Railway Station, Sainsbury’s Car Park Poplars, Shackledell, Warren Springs, Watery Grove, Weston Road.

The 1992 Breeding Atlas confirmed breeding from four of the town’s tetrads, which was an increase from one in 1973. The 2012 Atlas only considered breeding as probable from the tetrad covering Norton Green.

The Common Bird Census recorded their presence at Watery Grove during the 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1996 and 1997 breeding seasons, and three singing males were recorded there in 1988. 

The earliest spring arrival date is 12 April 2002 behind the Magistrates Court, and the latest departure date is 29 September 1979 at Box Wood.

An over-wintering bird was seen in the Old London, Road behind the Magistrates Court between 11 and 13 February 2002. This was the first record of this species over-wintering in Hertfordshire, and is a rare event in Britain. Possibly the same bird was seen at the same location on 12 and 16 April 2002.