Chiff Chaff and Wilow Warbler

[colincurry]

I do remember last year posting a picture that I thought might be a Chiffchaff, but the learned opinions expressed at great length decided that the bird was a Willow Warbler.

We went out today near Swavesey walking along a track with high gloomy hedgerows and on a grey morning.

These first two pictures are, I firmly believe, are of a Chiffchaff; especially if its call was anything to go by





We moved further along into a more open stretch and were thoroughly entertained by the melodious song of what I take to be a Willow Warbler





We shall see!

Colin

[Picidae]

I'd agree with both your IDs there Colin. The facial features in the first pic are clearly Chiffchaff, (clearer eye ring, shorter super and swarthy cheeks) darker bill base and dark legs also confirm. The second pic shows Willow Warbler facial features (stronger supercillium with pale bill base) and showing a long primary projection.

[Nightranger]

It can be confusing though because the leg colour is not always that easy to make out even in good light, as I found out at the weekend. I was out with another birder and I was convinced of a chiffchaff's contact call (hweet rather than hoo-weet) but my colleague thought he saw the leg colour that contradicted this idea. It was clear there was a singing chiffchaff (the mate?) very nearby and a willow warbler a little further away. The problem was made worse by the chichaffs occasionally trying to chase off the willow warbler. The 'mystery' bird eventually proved me right by going tzip tzap but it shows that nothing can be taken for granted. Anyway, I got quite a nice shot of one chiffchaff displaying with the wing flutter and I will have to work out how to post it.