Saturday 14 March 2015

First Chiffchaff of the year and Willow Tit at Thompson Water

Singing Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita
A quick lunchtime picnic at Thompson Water was rewarded with the first Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus collybita of the year: at least three or four males singing and chasing around the anglers' area. An unfamiliar song, reminiscent of that of several antbirds – a rather deliberate three second series of downslurred pure-tone notes repeated seven or eight times on same pitch: piu-piu-piu-piu-piu-piu-piu-piu – proved to be a Willow Tit Parus montanus. This bird showed a well-marked pale secondary panel.