Beasts from the east

Feels like ages since I've done any 'proper' birding.  So I headed up to Norfolk on Sunday with Wardy to look at waifs and stays.

First up was this rather splendid OBP in Wells Wood.

[Canon 7D, 300mm IS f.4 and 1.4 converter]

Then some Barred Warbler action at Salthouse

Barred Warbler shots all taken digiscoping with a Nikon V1, 10-30mm lens, Swarovski ATS 80 HD and 25-50x eyepiece.

I love a good owl

Lovely views of this Barn Owl this evening near Cardington.  I was hoping for some flight shots but these will do.

And another weird chiffy

Another interesting Chiffchaff.  This one was at Broom GP.  I initially saw two birds in the willows - one dingy grey collybita type which was calling constantly, and then this bird.  I hadn't noticed it until I tried playing tristis song at the collybita bird (just to see if it would react more than anything else), and this bird popped out from the bottom of some willows and started flapping its wings and bouncing around the branches above me.  Unfortunately this bird remained silent throughout.

Plumage wise this is an odd bird.  From a distance it looks buffy and brown, with the only real green around the wings and tail.  Up close the green is much more evident, especially around the mantle, flanks and in the supercillium.  The two chiffchaffs in this clump also act differently - the collybita is often much higher up in the top third of the willows, but this bird is usually at the very bottom - usually in the bottom two feet, just above the water.

To say that chiffchaffs do my head in is an understatement!  As others have said, its redpolls all over again...

Another Sibe Chiff

At the same time I found the 'other' Siberian Chiffchaff at Marston Sewage Works I also came across this bird.  It is distinctly different - its more beige and buff in colouration, without the greyness of the other bird.  The wings and tail, although tinged green, aren't nearly as bright as the other bird, and it also has a light wingbar.  This bird is also much more confiding and spends more time in low vegetation.  It has also been silent on every visit - or at least I haven't seen it call, or been close enough when it has.

On close inspection there is some yellow in its plumage - however this is only visible in the images above.  None of this yellow was visible in the field.

More shots of this bird by Neil Wright can be found on the BedsBirds blog here.

So, should both birds be labelled 'tristis'?  One bird looks good but hasn't called, and the other bird looks good (but more contrasting) and has a slightly strange call. Hmmmm.

Dartie

Wonderful little birds - Dartford Warblers.  Even better when you can see them just a few miles away from home.

That Chiffchaff again

I bumped in to that Sibe Chiff again today - it really is a looker.  Still doesn't sound quite right though...

There are more shots of this bird by Mike Lawrence on the BedsBirds blog here.