April 4th 2017 was all about a duo of Shropshire megas, firstly a beteer shoing from the Yellow-browed Warbler!
It's always worth going back... On arrival at the site, a small group of birders were viewing from the opposite side of the road. Sensing they were on it, I was told it had been showing earlier on the outside of the copse but was not in view. It seemed like a good idea to check the favourite haunts of the
Yellow-browed Warbler from Sunday?
Inspired moment or what - I was on it within seconds of checking inside the copse. Tucked away in the canopy...
But then dropping lower and in unobstructed view!
Crikey, despite the high contrast of strong sunlight, as good as I could have hoped for? I was now joined by a small throng!
A call?!
And then a final pose at the end of the branch!
Not a bad 2 minutes or so work!
It then disappeared and so did I -
Iberian Chiffchaff at Granville?? Sounds like lightning striking twice!!
Here we go again - Iberian Chiffchaff yet again!!
Hastily processed pics and a 'song' video of the
Iberian Chiffchaff at Granville Country Park this afternoon. Less than 100m from the where the 2016 Ibe Chiff was resident during April 2016!
I had joined Andy Latham and John Reeves at about 2.15. They hadn't seen it but it was pretty convincing on song, lurking somewhere in the bushes beyond the small pool. It certainly looked like mission impossible to get a glimpse other than the brief flight views we managed until this happened...
Totally against the run of play and then a short while later, it paused to preen on the opposite side of the pool! That long supercilium and other features reminiscent of the 2016 bird....
And here's the bird in 'song' when it wasn't doing a perfect impression of Common Chiffchaff.
It was impossible not to have doubts but presumably this is an Iberian Chiff mimicking a Common. It was 'Iberian' when not in view but then frequently singing its heart out above our head as a 'Common' when feeding. And NO, before you query it, there weren't two birds involved...
