Chiffchaff - December 4th

I was walking by a very tall tree in the parkland which is quite close to the edge of a large lake. High up in the tree I observed a small bird quickly moving from one twig and branch to another. It was clearly searching for food and didn't stop anywhere for more than a second or two. Its actions reminded me of a Goldcrest.

I kept taking shots and trying to keep up with its rapid movement as it moved around the tree. It sometimes dropped quite a way down and then across the tree. I don't normally review the images on the camera much, as that tends to waste battery. I did glance at one or two images, but really couldn't see exactly what it was and my intention was to confirm its species on the computer at home.

However, I was fortunate to subsequently meet a local birding colleague who knows all there is to know about birds and confirmed that the bird was in fact a Chiffchaff.

I always assumed that Chiffchaffs either migrated to Africa during winter or in recent years certainly moved to the South coast. So I was more than pleased to find this one on the 4th of December.