I've just read through the text in Opus for the first time and suggest it needs several caveats regarding some of the details. I feel that ought to be a warning that the description applies to 'typical' birds in fresh clean plumage and that some birds may be virtually indistinguishable on plumage alone from brighter Chiffchaffs. Similarly, it ought to be clear that juvs are not safely separable from Common. Certainly, it does not seem to "move short distances to lower levels, usually in valleys and along Mediterranean coast" in winter. However, I really don't want to tread on any toes here .....
Thanks for that John, when I researched the article I found that it wasn't particularly clear on several points. Normally, European species are really well documented, hence my appeal for discussion. I was hoping to get yours and Simons opinion amonst others, as you are the guys with real life experience from living where this species does. Discussing a freshly produced article on the discussion page is wholely appropriate and most welcome.
The feeling I got from my research was that much of the confusion has come from birders living outside the normal range of this species, confusing species and not fully understanding the usual migration pattern, in that they confuse the local winter with the UK winter, thus a sighting in late February means, to them, that it overwinters where in fact it has just returned.
Any discussion here is certainly not stepping on anyones toes.
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