Odd Chiff Chaff. (1 Viewer)

Today at St. Margaret's I came across a group of CC feeding in the coastal hedge..first two images are collybita type birds for comparison..but images 3,4and 5 are of a bird which looked very odd to my eyes!

Essentially when first picked up through the viewfinder of my camera at c20m...showing buff/pink underparts and brown uppers..I thought I had a Sylvia warbler!..a quick check with the bins. revealed a CC..but not one that I could reconcile..no vestige of olive/green in the plumage that I could discern, with a striking eye-stripe against a contrasting 'super'.

Although not shown very well in the shots (grey day) and with a bridge camera..taking shots from 5m-20m the most striking thing was the ''buffy pink'' wash to the lores and unders.

Anybody else encountered this cosmetic on a CC?

All the images are of chiffchaff,well to my eyes at least.

Steve.

stevo said:

All the images are of chiffchaff,well to my eyes at least.

Steve.

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Chiff Chaff yes....presumably the last 3 images are not unusual?

KenM said:

Chiff Chaff yes....presumably the last 3 images are not unusual?

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not unusual, but part of the wide variety of plumage - I had an extra look at the chiffchaffs on my patch today with this thread in mind and saw two or three looking like this.

nickderry said:

not unusual, but part of the wide variety of plumage - I had an extra look at the chiffchaffs on my patch today with this thread in mind and saw two or three looking like this.

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mmmmm....Clearly not collybita/abietnus/tristis...so where would you suggest that this ''cosmetic'' derives from..is it clinal..East-West..North-South?

I've spent years hunting...and have had the good fortune to observe some odd looking CC..some drab...some almost as bright as WW..and some intermediate and have accepted these as ''variations on a theme''.

That said..I've never seen one so strikingly different!

Probably my misfortune in having been unable to convey through digital images..what the eye saw under a grey sky and partial shade.

The upperparts (brown and concolourous with striking head pattern)..to one side

It was the almost intense buff/pink to the lores and underparts that really startled!

Hence my thread..and it might appear from the response..that this cosmetic is somewhat unusual to say the least...otherwise there would have been common accord to the contrary? :smoke:

Hi Ken, the variations in Chiffchaffs, mainly due to age and lighting can catch out the unwary observer. Down here at St Margaret's (sorry I missed you today) we see a lot on migration, although I'm yet to see one wearing any cosmetics. Definition of the word cosmetic:
"serving an esthetic rather than a useful purpose"

Tony Morris said:

Hi Ken, the variations in Chiffchaffs, mainly due to age and lighting can catch out the unwary observer. Down here at St Margaret's (sorry I missed you today) we see a lot on migration, although I'm yet to see one wearing any cosmetics. Definition of the word cosmetic:
"serving an esthetic rather than a useful purpose"

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My definition of cosmetics...not wishing to be pedantic...''seeing what you get''.....I wouldn't call myself unwary as far as Phylloscs. are concerned, indeed I automatically default to variation on a theme as far this group is concerned. However when viewed from most angles the cosmetic was as stated, as indeed were the rest of the birds collybita playmates.

Ever seen a buffy/pink one?

cheers