With an Iberian Chiffchaff
turning up in Lancashire towards the end of our two week trip to Florida, I was
hopeful that this individual would stay the course and I’d be able to catch up
with this Iberian speciality on my return. Unfortunately however, doubts were
quickly raised about its identity – the song appeared untypical of Iberian
Chiffchaff once sound recordings taken on site were analysed and it was quickly
dismissed as an imposter – sadly, not making the grade.
Luckily however, the UK seems
to be experiencing a spring influx of these delightful Mediterranean songsters
at present, and after a year’s absence with no records during 2015, there have
been a further three additional reports of Iberian Chiffchaffs this past week,
with individuals in Coverack in Cornwall, Tresco on Scilly and of course,
Telford in Shropshire.
First reported on the Sunday
afternoon straight after our 8 hour flight back from Orlando and quickly
confirmed as being the real deal, I had no chance of getting down to Shropshire
until a week later, where thankfully this Mediterranean speciality had set up
territory in a patch of woodland, often showing well and calling frequently.
The Iberian Chiffchaff in Telford, Shropshire |
For the next ten minutes or so
we followed our target through the trees as it worked its way along the
hedgerow, often perching in full view and treating us to blasts of now familiar
song. Sounding the initial first notes of “chiff chiff chiff”, this was quickly
followed by a warbling variation, much different to any of the Chiffchaffs or
Willow Warblers that were also present on site that had been singing throughout
the afternoon, and unlike several recent birds in West Sussex and
Cambridgeshire a few years back (and possibly the Lancashire bird) it was also quite
clear that this was not a mixed singer. While every time I pressed record on my camera to try and capture the call the Chiffchaff seemed to go mute (typical!), Alex managed to get an excellent video of the song, illustrated below:
Formerly treated as just a race of Common Chiffchaff in the past, Iberian Chiffchaffs were recognised as a separate species by the BOU 18 years ago due to a range of differences, including vocalisation, morphology and genetics. Indeed, as well as the call, there were slight variations in the plumage that while subtle, were still noticeable in the field at Telford. The bill was slightly longer than a Common Chiffchaff with a much paler lower mandible, while the legs were much lighter, appearing to be an intermediate shade somewhere in between Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers. The plumage was also a brighter green than a Common Chiffchaff, often looking a grey-olive colour, while there was a yellowish wash to the head, cheeks and extensive supercilium, again more so than you would expect to see on a Common Chiffchaff. Studying the photos of the bird later at home, I could also clearly see the indistinct and broken eye-ring that is limited to just the lower edge of the eye – another pro Iberian Chiffchaff feature.
The broken eye-ring on the lower edge of the eye is clearly visible, as is the yellowish colouration of the head and breast |
With the finer plumage details
matching up and the call (which has been recorded and sonagramed) spot on for
Iberian Chiffchaff, there is no doubting the ID in my opinion, with this
individual being the real deal. It was great to enjoy hearing him sing
prolifically and show so well for us – a great addition to my British list
after seeing a pair in Spain two years ago and a fantastic bird to hear in
person.
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