Gerry o Neill
Well-known member
drogheda chiffer
pic of drogheda chiffer
I got out this morning at 6am and found presumably the same Chiffchaff about 40 metres short of the bridge. I heard it sing just 4 times in 40 minutes and it seemed to be mobile going silent for several minutes at a time. First of all I would like to point out that I am not great with bird song, but I did some research last night.
http://www.surfbirds.com/Features/ibechiffs/ibechiffs.html
When I first heard the bird it gave two or three chiffchaff like notes and then a short rapid rattle. I did not manage to record the call but it sounded interesting. It lacked what you might call a 'bridging note' between the initial call and the rattle at the end and I think some birders who heard it the other day thought it did not sound quite right for Iberian Chiffchaff. I did not get any sort of view of the bird so I cant comment on its appearance.
I had some recordings on a portable dictaphone with me. When I played it just after hearing the Slane bird I could not detect much if any difference between the two however I did not manage to get a recording of the bird singing.
There seems to be some variation in Iberian Chiffchaff song so you would need to get a recording of the song to be sure. I think in the UK only birds that have been recorded singing/calling have been considered for acceptance by the BBRC.
Peter
pic of drogheda chiffer