johnp..is this any better?

[annie]

[Terry]

Looks more like a Chiff Chaff to me, but I'm no expert

[annie]

i am convinced now as well terry..and so is a local bloke i asked....

[JohnP]

I'm still not sure annie! The Chiffchaff & Willow Warbler are so much alike I would need to hear it's song before committing myself to a positive ID. There is one thing you could try and observe... Chiffchaff's tend to habitually dip their tail when moving around in the tree canopy, this habit is not seen with Willow Warblers.

[Terry]

Agree with John, the best way to decide would be by the song. completely different with Chiff Chaff and Willow warbler

[annie]

yep....but the bloke next door who is feeding the birds in his garden said they are chiffchaff....he must know there song surely...it's was him that told me this morning....all so confusing...!

[JohnP]

yep....but the bloke next door who is feeding the birds in his garden said they are chiffchaff....he must know there song surely...it's was him that told me this morning....all so confusing...!

 

annie... keep repeating quickly to yourself... chiff chaff > chiff chaff > chiff chaff > chiff chaff...  and you will know the sound they make..    Don't do it in public though, you might get taken away...

[annie]

lol john.....!

[NannyFerret]

You could listen to the song online if you Google birdsongs  , Annie, or maybe record it on your camera.

[annie]

good idea nanny....

[annie]

john, nanny and terry.....i have now been told it's still too early for willow warblers, they don't arrive until mid to late april, but the chiffchaffs are here all year...

[JohnP]

annie... you may well be correct as some Chiffchaffs do winter in the southern most counties of the British Isles but the mojority head south to the Mediterranean regions for the winter (I wish I could)...     However Willow Warblers do start to arrive in the far south of the country in March so sightings cannot be completely ruled out. Nothing beats local knowledge, so if you have been told it's a Chiffchaff by someone nearby then that's good enough for me. If you really want to confirm this for your own satisfaction, then look for the dark legs, the tail dipping and of course the birds song. Best of luck.

[annie]

the man next door is getting angry now....he just turned his back on me when i shout over the fence with another question...lol!

[JohnP]

the man next door is getting angry now....he just turned his back on me when i shout over the fence with another question...lol!

 

How could anyone possibly get angry with you annie...

[NannyFerret]

Perhaps he was too cold to stop and talk. lol

[Terry]

How could anyone possibly get angry with you annie...

 

 

How would react if some strange woman was next door with flaming red hair wondering round the garden constantly muttering chiff chaff chiff chaff chiff chaff 

[JohnP]

How would react if some strange woman was next door with flaming red hair wondering round the garden constantly muttering chiff chaff chiff chaff chiff chaff 

 

   

[annie]

my hair is back to it's proper colour i will have you two know....

[JohnP]

annie... sorry an ID for your little bird was a bit of a drag, you chose a real difficult one to ID from a photograph. It's some consolation to me that I was almost there from the onset but not quite...   I will be looking for both Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers next time I go walking in the woods at the back of my place, I must remember to take my MP3 player with bird songs on it.

[JohnP]

my hair is back to it's proper colour i will have you two know....

 

I went to my barber this morning and had my usual No5... nearly died of exposure walking home...

[annie]

sorry guys....an rspb officer bloke has just mailed me that it is a chiffchaff..........do we take his word for it?

[JohnP]

sorry guys....an rspb officer bloke has just mailed me that it is a chiffchaff..........do we take his word for it?

 

Yes.

[annie]

end of that then....lol

 

i can now name them in my files...